Today’s “Teacher Tuesday” guest has two great passions, which he calls “the two Cs”: Chemistry and Cricket. Meet Kashif, our Head of Chemistry, who since 2018 has been a dedicated member of the EIC staff.
As usual, we first wanted to find out what attracted Kashif to our College, and especially what it is about EIC that’s kept him here for four years.
Kashif briefly shared his story of recent years: his career as a teacher started in a College whose courses were aimed at older students, and he enjoyed the close relationship that he could have with them whilst supporting their academic life.
When he moved to a State Secondary School to teach students aged 11 to 16, he missed the level of maturity and independence of his previous students. Therefore, when he came across Ealing Independent College, he was eager to find a place that would allow him to experience that great harmony with students again. Luckily, he landed the right College, as he feels that EIC is the perfect blend between teaching younger students but also having a friendly and mature relationship with them as a teacher.
Kashif also believes that Ealing Independent College differs from other Secondary Schools for several other reasons, such as small classes and a more relaxed environment overall. But the most important aspect, in Kashif's view, is how inclusive the College is towards students who are looking for a second chance or a fresh start.
Ealing Independent College is not a “selective” school as such, and although we do ensure that our students have the abilities to successfully complete their courses, those who haven’t achieved their desired grades to access other state schools would not be denied entry here.
Therefore, in Kashif’s words, “we provide them with opportunities” that they could not find elsewhere; we believe in them. And in the vast majority of instances this trust pays off: we see students entering the College lacking confidence, growing over time and ultimately achieving great results.
Amongst all age groups, Kashif especially enjoys teaching Y13 classes. He explains that, in Sixth Form, students seem to be noticeably more interested in Chemistry, as they actively made the choice of studying the subject, whereas some GCSE students, especially those who find it challenging, don’t engage the same way.
As Kashif mentioned his passion for teaching sixth formers, we asked him what advice he would give to those students who are currently taking some of the most decisive exams of their lives, their A-Level exams.
He explains that he simply wishes his students to try hard, and:
“Plan and prepare. If you have tried your best with preparing and revising, you will have no regrets, and having no regrets is just the most important thing when you sit exams”.
But Kashif has another big passion that goes alongside teaching Chemistry. He is also extremely passionate about sports, especially Cricket - he has been a cricket player himself since the age of 11. He would love EIC students to have the chance to join a Cricket Club, and he would definitely be happy to help with the organisation of it.
Kashif tells us that once he received a book called “The Chemistry of Cricket”, where each cricket player became part of a Cricket Periodic Table; that book was one of the best gifts he has ever received, as it perfectly blended together his two passions!
Football is another interest of his, and he is a loyal fan of Tottenham Football Club (but sadly his children don’t share his love for the same club and support Liverpool instead!). Kashif manifests his passion for Football by supporting the EIC Football Team during training when needed, and sometimes joining football matches.
Finally, a fun fact about him: Kashif is fascinated by foreign languages and can say “Hi, how are you?” in more than 10 different languages!