1. When did you volunteer with Jacari?
In 1982 very soon after starting at St Hugh’s College Oxford.
2. Who was your pupil?
He was a young lad around 10 years old. I helped him with his maths homework. I think the family spoke Punjabi and I cycled about 20-30 minutes up the Cowley Road to get to them every week.
3. Can you tell us the most vivid memory of your time as a Jacari volunteer?
I remember the smell of the home, full of spices and cooking and being fed Indian delicacies as I worked with their son.
4. What are you doing now?
I am, and have been for 35 years, a teacher of Science. I moved to Australia in 2004.
5. How has being a volunteer with Jacari influenced you later in life?
It helped me to relate to immigrant families and multicultural classrooms and understand what their home life is like, especially the difficulties when the parents can’t speak English.