Peter Botsman Award 2000

Patsy Norton

Patsy provides a model of what it is to be an English teacher – not just to teach English, but to BE an English teacher.

She has an open, collaborative and collegial approach, encouraging her staff to act independently, confidently and as part of a community of English teachers. Patsy’s contribution to the STELLA Project has been wide-ranging and consistent, and her support of the project has encouraged others to participate.

Patsy shares her ideas and her passion for language with other teachers and students. Her clear communication and purposeful lessons are models of practice. She is willing to change tack and to diverge when it seems appropriate, in her words, she is a ‘risk-taker’ and her enjoyment of the classroom is infectious.

She has a feel for the pulse of learning.

She is also acutely aware – always ready to intercede or facilitate change where necessary.

It is Patsy’s willingness to share that makes her a master English teacher. That is, to share her personal stories, her passion, her experience, her thoughts and her time and to share them with students, student-teachers and other staff. Equally it is her passion for language and for the value of English teaching and for excellence, that prompt this nomination.