Classics PhD (Exeter) - 6 years experience teaching A-Level Classical Civ. and undergraduate Classics. I teach Clas. Civ., Ancient History and Latin to GCSE, A-Level and UG level

Find out more about Dr Josh

• 1) When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I have had a deep passion for Classics and the ancient world since my adolescence. At the earliest stage of my interest, the stories of the heroes of Greek and Roman epic poetry, like Odyssey, Achilles, and Aeneas, and their adventures were as enthralling as any modern fantasy book. But Classics and ancient history expands the more one studies it. Subsequently, I found a passion for Roman history and literature, marvelling at the corruption and tragedy of the late Roman Republic’s darkest days and how a single city and its politicians altered the course of European history. My love for the ever-expanding subject blossomed at university, driving me to undertake my Master’s and my PhD. When I began my PhD, I was fortunate enough to teach the subject to A-Level and undergraduate students, hoping to demonstrate the complex, entertaining, and sometimes humorous world of Classics to others. After moving away from Exeter, I could not let teaching go. Education and helping students achieve their academic goals had become a large part of who I believe myself to be, so I decided that I would start private tutoring. In my time as a private tutor, I have found it as fulfilling and enjoyable as teaching at college and university. Private tutoring has allowed me to bring my love of education and Classics to new students. Every students has different academic goals, different interests within the subject, and private tutoring has allowed me to continue to explore my passion for the Classical world.

• 2) Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I primarily teach GCSE and A-Level syllabi Classical Worlds and Latin. My primary interest has always been in Roman politics, the development of religion and transformation from the Late Republic to Late Antiquity. I am fascinated by the growth of the empire, how it changed intellectually and religiously as it developed in different areas of the Mediterranean. Indeed, my PhD topic focuses on the Roman army and early Christianity’s consideration of the institutions of Roman powers. As such, I particularly enjoy teaching any topics related to this, from Late Republican politics, the rise of Augustus, Roman myth and religion. Despite this, I also have an interest in Epic literature, both Roman and Greek, and have always enjoyed teaching the grand narratives of war, love, gods, and the heroes of ancient myth to others.

• 3) Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  I have been very fortunate regarding my role models in my academic journey. The first role model in my academic studies taught a subject that I had an immensely hard time understanding, mathematics. My maths teacher imparted a lesson upon me which I believe has been integral to my own teaching, that no student is beyond hope and a sympathetic and patient teacher can make all the difference. Despite my complete inability to grasp many concepts, he spent countless hours during lunch breaks and after school painstakingly explaining the material in a variety of ways until I eventually understood it. His tutorage had an enormous impact on my education and, later, teaching style. I felt completely incapable and as though I was a lost cause, but his patience and kindness meant that I grew academically and succeeded.
  
  My A-Level Classics teacher has had an impact on my life that is hard to overstate. In much the same way as I like to demonstrate to other the breadth and depth of Classics, and open the minds of my students to the world of Classics with its captivating complexities, my own teacher did this for me. I had little understanding of the subject, but, through his passionate and patient teaching, I became mesmerised by ancient history. His teaching eroded the passage of time between the ancients and his students, making the narratives of political intrigue and courageous individuals feel alive. From that point, I have dedicated my life to attempting to develop my understanding of the subject and impart my passion for it on others. Since then, I have had lecturers who have consistently broadened my understanding of the subject, illustrating that Classics is a subject which always has something new to research and enjoy.

• 4) What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  First and foremost, enthusiasm is key to being a great educator. A passion for the subject that an educator teachers allows them to continue to develop their own understanding of the subject and present the material to students in a manner that is engaging and enjoyable. To captivate students and maintain their attention, a tutor themselves needs to express a passionate and charismatic teaching style. In my opinion, teaching a subject which one has little interest in simply cannot work as well, as they will fail to demonstrate how a topic is engaging and worth consideration. If a teacher can present even challenging topics with an enthusiastic and upbeat manner, the students are far more likely to preserver and desire to understand it themselves.
  
  Patience is, in my opinion, another essential quality that a tutor must have to be successful. Not every student will fare well with every aspect of a curriculum and some students may find academic pursuits more challenging than others. Patience is key to ensuring that every student has the ability to grow in knowledge and confidence. The patience to more careful explain a topic that a student finds difficult or present the information in a manner that is more easily understandable can make a huge difference in a learner’s progress. Having the ability to go through a topic as quickly or slowly as a student needs, ensuring that they fully understand the material, is a defining element of a good teacher.
  
  Lastly, I believe that the ability to tailor one’s presentation of the subject to students is important. Students have widely varying learning styles and interests, as such it is often necessary to teach subjects in a manner which suits a student’s particular needs. Similarly, a learner may have strengths in some areas of study and weaknesses in others. As such, it is the job of a good teacher to identify these and create engaging lessons which play to a student’s strengths while also helping to remedy any weaknesses. Treating students as individuals and utilising diverse teaching methods and styles is integral to being a good tutor.

• 5) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  I think picking a particular anecdote from the subject is relatively easy for me, as I have admired one particular figure since my early years studying the subject at school. I have a particular fondness for Marcus Tullius Cicero, a Roman statesman whose corpus has been a source of both interest and anxiety for Latin students for centuries. It is worth quickly explaining his life and achievements to demonstrate how it serves as a valuable anecdote. Cicero’s personal drive, unshakable ideals, and contribution to literature are beyond admirable, especially when we consider his life story. In short, he was an underdog in politics. Cicero was born into a middle class family in the Italian countryside, accomplished in local business and affairs, but a family who may as well have been from a different world to the patrician class in the city of Rome. The patricians and senatorial class in Rome, who we may consider the 0.01% in Roman society, held power through unimaginable wealth, multigenerational family and professional alliances, predisposition to corruption, and occasional violence. However, Cicero sought the highest spot in Roman Republican politics, the consulship, against this adversity, armed with his diligent worth ethic, excellent networking capabilities, his genius intellect, and an ability as a public speaker that was simply unmatched. Without painstakingly describing his life after arriving in Rome, Cicero was met with the expected adversity. He was considered a country bumpkin, looked down on for his class and lack of established ties to power and familial prestige.
  
  However, Cicero began to make friends and alliances across class and social boundaries, only engaged in upstanding and honourable political practice and business, write prolifically on politics and philosophy, and all the while held to his ideal that the safety and prosperity of the Republic should always be of foremost importance. Eventually, he succeeded. After many elections and popular magistracies, he achieved the consulship at the youngest possible age, with a landslide of votes in his favour, and became the most influential voice in his political faction. Unfortunately, it was not a happy ending for Cicero, the consulship of this just and admirable statesman was just a dim light during an increasingly volatile crisis. As he fought to keep the failing Republican system from collapse, other ardent republicans died of old age or in brutal civil wars, a tyrant stole power and was assassinated, and other equally self-interested men took the tyrant’s place. Cicero used his best weapon against these people, he denounced those who sought to undermine and destroy the Republic for their own gain, rallied remaining allies, and attempted to strategize against his new enemies until he too was slain. The highs and lows of Cicero’s life are more than an entertaining narrative to those who would like to find a message or an anecdote. Indeed, many lessons may be taken from this anecdote. One may study his astronomic rise to power as a statement that humble beginnings do not define us and we can still achieve all that we desire, if we have courage and drive. Another person may view Cicero’s political behaviour as an exemplar for interacting with other, make friends from all groups and remember that kindness is a strength. Equally, we could interpret Cicero’s skill as an orator as demonstrating that words have more power to persuade others than money and force. The idealist will understand Cicero’s life as a message regarding unerring devotion to one’s principles; even when the world becomes turbulent, people like Cicero are willing to give everything to protect the greater good and the interests of others. Finally, the manner in which I interpret this anecdote may be due to my vocation, I view Cicero’s life as a statement on the importance of developing one’s intellectual capacity. Cicero was not a skilled military leader, he was not as wealthy as his senatorial peers, nor was he from an old and illustrious family, but he did fostered and consistently utilised his greatest asset. He wrote speeches which toppled the careers of those more powerful than he, he outthought dangerous and violent enemies, and he was intelligent enough to build alliances with others. To me, Cicero demonstrates that we must invest time and energy into cultivating our minds.

• 6) What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  The aspect of Classics that I found most challenging is language. I was not a natural linguist, I struggled at learning languages at school and found it challenging at university. As such, Latin and Ancient Greek were immensely daunting prospects when I began my undergraduate education. However, I think that I am proof that even people like myself, who have a limited natural aptitude, can succeed with patience, diligent work, and good instructors. After I overcame the initial difficulties and built my confidence, I found that I loved the Latin language and found beauty in reading Ovid, Horace, and Virgil in their original language. In time, I even grew fond of the works of Cicero, despite his particularly high register and difficult sentence structures. Nowadays, I thoroughly enjoy teaching the language which initially gave me so much consternation and confusion, I find it massively rewarding to help others who are in the position in which I once found myself. With time, practice, and good guidance, I believe that many others, who love Classics and but may not see themselves as linguists, can find their own passion for reading the major works of Latin literature. Ancient Greek, however, has always been far trickier for me. While I unfortunately have to translate Koine Greek for my PhD thesis quite frequently, my love for the language was not quite as strong and I prefer teaching and translating Latin.

• 7) Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I believe that I am fortunate, as I have both a passion for education as a discipline and for many aspects of the subject which I teach. With regards to education, I have enjoyed both my experience as a learner and as a teacher. When I was a student beginning my journey into Classics as a discipline, I was hooked by the richness and variety of the subject. The myths, gods, and heroes of the ancient Mediterranean civilisations appealed to me, like so many others. The manner in which poets composed epic narratives orally which spanned tens of thousands of lines, detailing the clash between god-like heroes and human-like gods. As I grew older, my interest in politics was again something that I could find in the subject. The disintegration of the Roman Republic and rise of the Principate and Dominate that transformed Western Europe down to our own time, with its evolution of ideas and its champions and villains, told a new story entirely. What I loved as a student of Classics was that no manner what one may find interesting, the depth and breadth of Classics ensures that there will be something that aligns with our interests in the discipline. If someone is interested in politics, the military, art, theatre, linguistics, novels, legends and myth, religion, or sociology, these subjects can be studied in Classics.
  
  As a teacher, my passion is slightly different. I have devoted my entire adult life to the subject and it has brought a great deal of enjoyment and fulfilment to me, a large part of this is demonstrating the richness and variety of Classics to others. In another manner, it is clear that education can be a bridge to a successful and rewarding career. I firmly believe that students who apply themselves and have a drive to succeed should be given every opportunity to achieve their goals, and it has given me immense satisfaction when students that I have taught have prospered. Education is a powerful tool for everyone and I find joy and fulfilment in helping students excel in their academic journeys so that they might also find a career in which they find joy and fulfilment as well.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions :-P)

  I am a Superprof because I have an ardent love for the subject that I teach; I continue to learn more fascinating and entertaining aspects of the subject even as I write a PhD within the field. People never stop learning, I continue to develop my knowledge of the subject and my skills as an educator in the hope that I can consistently improve in my craft. I hope to bring my love of the subject to others and illustrate that there is something for everyone in Classics. I strive to treat every student as an individual with their own interests, strengths, and areas for improvement. I attempt to tailor every session which I plan and run with each student in mind. I engage with my students in a cheerful, upbeat, and patient manner, in which I consistently hope to ensure that they have a positive and enjoyable experience. As I stated in a prior question, I was fortunate in the teachers that I had growing up, I strive to be as encouraging and constructive for my students as my role models were for me.