MEET THE HEAD OF OUR SECONDARY SCHOOL
Head of Secondary School Jeanne Revest
Please tell us a bit about yourself.
I am of mixed heritage, with a French father and English mother, and I grew up bilingual and lived in both countries at different times. Having experienced two very different cultures since childhood, I have spent my life seeking new experiences and learning from different ways of living, which has influenced my choice of education and career and has led to me spending the majority of my adult life living in different parts of Europe, Asia and Africa.
While academic study has always been important to me - I still read every day - enjoying and promoting creativity in myself and others has always been a passion of mine, and I have worked in music festivals and been part of a wide variety of creative projects including dance, drama and music.
My other great passion is nature and the environment, and I have worked as an outdoor instructor specialising in ecology and education, as well as qualifying as a scuba diving professional. I have also actively campaigned for environmental
protection, and I believe that it is crucial that we strengthen our awareness of and connection with the living world around us, including giving young people opportunities to develop their own understanding of and relationships with nature.
Lastly, being French, I am of course obsessed with good food, and am very fortunate to have met and married a wonderful man who just happens to also be a trained chef!
What attracted you to teaching? How has your background influenced you as an educator?
I absolutely loved everything about school and always wanted to be a teacher - the way that my own teachers opened my eyes to the world, ideas and creativity was incredible and I wanted to do the same for others. I qualified as a teacher straight after university in 1997 and have been teaching on and off in the UK, Asia and Africa ever since. I have spent time doing other things, including working with young refugees in the UK and a period of eight years working as a British diplomat, but I keep coming back to teaching as the most satisfying and enriching job in the world! I have taught at every level of schooling, from year 1 to 13, but have remained a Secondary specialist and have been Deputy Head for KS3 (lower Secondary) in my last three positions.
What’s your educational background?
After studying English Literature and Development Studies at university, I went straight into working in a boarding school and passing my teaching qualification as a Secondary English teacher (over 25 years ago now). I did a part-time Masters in Development Management while working overseas, and during my time as Deputy Head in Tanzania I also completed the first year of a Masters in Education, which also gave me a grounding in the International Baccalaureate system of education. I intend to complete my Masters in Education in the future, and to keep learning for as long as I live.
How has your journey so far equipped you to be Head of Secondary at Si Ri Panya International School?
Having lived in so many different countries and working with young people of many different backgrounds, I welcome the opportunity to work in a diverse international environment and to help students to understand and connect with the community and the natural environment around them. I went to an incredibly diverse school myself as a child, and understand how the richness of this experience has helped me to appreciate and connect with others - I want to help our own students to develop the same community-minded approach while also developing their own unique qualities and preparing to lead happy, independent lives.
Do you have a personal educational philosophy?
I very much believe that education should be a happy experience which allows students to develop their strengths and passions and gives them the tools they may need in the future, as well as developing their personal and social skills so that they can become active members of their communities. A successful school education should give students the ability to make choices in the future about how they want to live their lives, and to have the confidence to try new things and the resilience to keep working towards their goals. I am also a firm believer that learning is a lifelong process, and hope that my students will also take this openness to learning from new experiences into their own lives.
