Meet the teacher - Eleanor St John Sutton

Growing up in Philadelphia, Eleanor St John Sutton never planned to be a teacher.

Though she loved English and reading, at school she considered a career in medicine. Her father, mother and one of her elder sisters were in medicine so it seemed a natural path. Eleanor was born and raised in the United States after her father took a position at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and her parents moved from London to Philadelphia. 

Coming from a family who loves books, Eleanor always enjoyed learning and still smiles as she looks back on her schooldays.

“You can probably tell from my job now that I loved school and I loved learning. A huge moment in my academic career was when I went to Central High School at 14. Central was established in 1836 and is the second-oldest state school in the USA. I was part of the 273rd graduating class and I am still proud of my status as a Central alumna.”

“Central High had a really strong culture of making you feel like learning, getting good grades and being intelligent was cool. However, with almost 3,000 students across four years, you had to work hard. But, hard work and good grades were celebrated. I remember, when the freshmen came in, the older students lined up at the entrance of the school and we all applauded and cheered them into their first assembly as a way of welcoming them into the school community."

"It was a really diverse school – students came from all across Philadelphia and from every background – and we all had a real sense of pride in our school and each other. I had such a good time.”

Eleanor passed with impressive test results culminating in scoring a whopping 2380 in her SATS, putting her in the top 1% of students in the USA. The culture of learning at Central High was key in helping – and pushing – her to greater and greater heights, without compromising on students' enjoyment. 

Having graduated with flying colours, university beckoned. Eleanor’s love of reading, coupled with a fondness for travel, had swayed her away from medicine and back towards the humanities. She also got involved with community service projects in West Philadelphia as a way of giving back to the communities that had raised her.  

“At university, I majored in English and Spanish. Language fascinates me. I love the complexity and the puzzle of it. Despite teaching being an expected career trajectory for English students, I still didn’t think about teaching. It was only when I began volunteering with a creative writing programme for middle school students that I really found that teaching could be a passion and a new and exciting way to talk about my favourite subjects.”

By senior year, Eleanor had volunteered for four years and worked as a teaching assistant in a local school under the tutelage of her professor, who was also the school’s founder.

“That year I really learned about education. I got to see the difference it made to students’ experience at school to have a caring teacher. I also got involved in a poetry project at a homeless empowerment shelter in the city. I was working with people who hadn’t graduated high school or had an interruption to their schooling– but despite all this, they were choosing to be there taking this poetry class with me. I found that powerfully inspiring.”

Armed with a new love of teaching, Eleanor went straight from graduating (with a double 1st) into the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education teacher training programme. 

“It was intense,” she smiles. “The course was essentially a cross between a Masters’ and a PGCE in the UK. I taught as a trainee teacher during the day and attended my own classes in the evenings.” 

Eleanor worked hard, bonded with her students and learned how to make English teaching exciting and effective. Now, she faced a life-changing decision: stay in Philadelphia or move to England.

“At the end of my training I was offered two teaching positions: one in Philadelphia and one in London. My extended family was still in the UK, I had spent my year studying abroad at Penn in Oxford and I wanted a new adventure.”

Eleanor settled into life in a London classroom and learned how different two English-speaking countries could be. Every day, she got to speak to her students about literature, language and life. She also continued to appreciate how important education is to a child’s life and future.

“I care about making a difference for students - all teachers do - that is why teachers do what they do. Every child deserves the best possible education and every day I hope that I can make students feel seen, supported, challenged and passionate about English.”

After six years in South London, Eleanor took six months out to recharge her battery which she did while travelling in South America and refreshing her Spanish skills. Soon though, she began to miss teaching. “I was reading so much while travelling and kept thinking how much my students would enjoy studying the same text. So, when I finished my travels, I wanted to return to education."

"Teaching is a career that brings you so many highs. One of a million moments that stands out for me was teaching a Key Stage 4 GCSE English class in which students were presenting their final speeches for the Spoken Language Endorsement. I remember that every student in that classroom dropped completely silent when one of their classmates was speaking. They were all completely focused on the speaker, not just because they were friends with each other but because they cared and they actively wanted to support each other. It was lovely to have provided an environment where students could feel part of a supportive and caring community. It felt like I was at Central again and that we had created something special.”

Keen to experience more moments like that, Eleanor began to look for a teaching job where she could make the biggest difference. It was then she found MyEdSpace and the opportunity to reach thousands more children than would be possible in a traditional classroom environment.

“This is a place where we are trying to reduce as many barriers to high-quality education as possible. With MyEdSpace, we can reach more students and spread the passion and knowledge we have,” she enthuses.

And, while MyEdSpace may not be as old as Central High School, Eleanor has continued teaching English with the same sense of enthusiasm and enjoyment that initially made her love it.