THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY
THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY
VALETE
VALETE
KATE BURNS (NÉE CUTLER)
Robert Baylis
SAM CLEARY
K ate joined the Modern Languages Department in September 2010 and rapidly established herself as an extremely hard-working, well-respected and caring teacher of Spanish and French. The qualities we had seen at interview quickly came to the fore, and her popularity in the classroom was mirrored in her excellent relationships within the Modern Languages team and the wider Common Room. Fabulously stylish, and with an understated sense of fun, she also has a strong professional commitment to her work, and to those she teaches. It is hard to do justice to Kate’s contribution to Dulwich over her 10 years in SE21. In searching for an apt epithet, I have decided to use Simon Northcote Green’s terminology: she is a ‘radiator’, giving warmth and comfort to all who come into her orbit. Positive, caring, considerate and conscientious, she gives generously of her time, attention and knowledge, to pupils and colleagues alike. Her pupils speak very fondly of their lessons with Kate, and many Alleynians are now studying Spanish at university or are using Spanish in their professional lives, having benefitted from Kate’s inspirational teaching. She brings Spanish alive to all age groups, and we are very fortunate that she has been so willing to enthuse the full range of Dulwich Hispanists from beginners in Year 7 to Year 13 Oxbridge candidates. My first observation of one of Kate’s many excellent lessons showed just this – I noted that she had ‘excellent rapport and fostered a co-operative ethos in the class, who learnt a great deal, and enjoyed doing so!’. She has also shared her enthusiasm and excitement for the Spanish-speaking world through Liberal Studies and, most recently, a superb A level plus course which attracted many Year 12 pupils.
Kate is rare in that she has operated successfully in both pastoral and academic spheres, serving as Middle School Charities Co-ordinator and Head of Spanish. In this latter role, her careful and shrewd leadership of the Spanish Department was underpinned by her collaborative style of management and careful development of her team – one of whom found the atmosphere fostered by her so good, that he returned to Dulwich after a stint away from SE21! The Spanish Department flourished under her leadership, and her positivity and skill in building a team atmosphere and ethos are still felt today – Kate’s gift of Gail’s Bakery’s finest pastries to sugar the poison chalice of Saturday morning IGCSE moderation is an example to us all! Kate’s contribution to the wider life of the College and to free learning is exemplary. She has organised and accompanied countless overseas trips, looking after boys and staff in a range of Spanish locations, including, most recently, Pamplona, Mallorca, Salamanca and Granada. Closer to home, she organised the excellent Year 7 Spanish day, the Year 8 fashion week and became the smiling face of Dulwich’s Discovery Day. On top of this, she maintained a very strong commitment to the College’s Community Action programme. She was also a highly successful Middle and Upper School tutor, and often took groups over in Year 13 – never an easy task. Her meticulous planning and practical approach to all these activities are a model that most would find hard to copy on a full timetable. We will all miss the sunny ‘Despistada’, as she is affectionately known by her close friends and colleagues, and we wish her all the very best as she embarks on the new and exciting chapter in her married life with Rob in Australia.
Colm Ó Siochrú
S am Cleary – Head of Politics, teacher of Economics, political provocateur par excellence – departed Dulwich last summer to become Head of Social Sciences at Tonbridge School. That he took leave at the same time as Nick Fyfe, then-Head of Economics, proved so shocking to the remnant left behind that their two valetes simply could not be written at once. The Lord George building had lost its Blair and Brown, its Seinfeld and Costanza, its Schwarzenegger and DeVito; and it seems fitting that tribute be paid to Sam’s irreducible individuality by according him space in a different edition of this magazine of record. During his time at the College, Sam became a true Alleynian: a charismatic and inspiring teacher; an apostle of free learning; a wise Brian Clough on the side lines; and the most collegial and congenial of colleagues. It might never have been so: sources say his letter of application was a not entirely convincing repackaging of a simultaneous approach to Haileybury. Nor did everything ‘click’ neatly, as it does for some at the College. Sam would be first to acknowledge that his accent, background and politics challenged the Thatcherite prosperity gospel cherished by some of his students, sparking many a fiery debate. But precisely this is what made Sam so widely loved and admired. He brought to Dulwich an earnest love of argument, and those arguments packed a punch. Debate not only drove
his lessons but also enlivened each morning registration. Upper School boys would often arrive to Period 1 strangely awakened, fighting furiously about corporation tax rates or Corbyn and Clause IV or whether Laura Kuenssberg really is a crypto-Tory. This passion for politics was infectious. Sam galvanised groups of boys and staff for theatre trips, Model UN conventions, and for that 2017 festival of fun ‘Dulwich Political’. But it was the Politics Society that played host to many of Sam’s greatest hits. When Nick Timothy or Nigel Farage or Matt Zarb-Cousin went back-and-forth with him on Twitter, they invariably ended up going toe-to-toe with him in front of 100 Sixth Formers. Charmed into this bear pit, they didn’t always appreciate how serious was their peril: but there was no mute button to save them. A frisson of excitement would run through the room as Sam commenced interrogation, his right eyebrow wriggling uncontrollably once he knew he had his victim over a barrel. (Only the late Tessa Jowell came out on top: when Channel 4 called her, mid-talk, requesting a quote, she simply passed it over to Sam, her receptionist.) What is clear in all of this is Sam’s love not only for the clash of ideas, but also for the fumes and sparks set off in the process. He loved what the boys call ‘the beef’, and mischievously generated much of it himself, Irish eyes a-twinkle. Tonbridge has gained a gifted teacher, and a loyal and generous-hearted friend. May Sam, Joanna, Jimmy and Erin be very happy there in the years ahead. We miss them.
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