Education

Jonathan became DoS in Education at Lucy Cavendish in 2018. He is a specialist in English children’s literature from the eighteenth century to the present day. His work explores margins, particularly the marginalisation of authors, texts, and characters. His PhD argued that the child protagonists of children’s literature can be understood, etymologically and theoretically, as monsters. He serves on the Editorial Board of Children’s Literature in Education.

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I was working full-time in retail when I decided to re-sit A-level History, adding an Access to Education Diploma at Westminster Kingsway College. Lucy Cavendish has exactly the kind of atmosphere I wanted, though I never expected to meet so many lovely and interesting people. Every corner I turn, I bump into a friendly face and a happy greeting. And the great thing about the Education course is that I have been able to study the issues that I was interested in prior to applying (equality of opportunity, and the challenges faced by those from certain class and cultural backgrounds), and be more critical in my approach towards them. Although you do need a great amount of stamina at Cambridge, you feel an incredible sense of empowerment and achievement every time you complete an essay.

I came to Cambridge with an Oxford Foundation Certificate in English Literature, alongside A-levels in English and History, having previously worked as an ultrasound technician for a London Healthcare Trust. Lucy Cavendish occupies a unique position within the larger university and it has made it possible for me to call Cambridge my home. Coxing for the Boat Club has been one of my most enjoyable experiences, and the College has provided financial support when I needed it most, as well as pastoral support, and a safe environment, where I can really explore every opportunity. The Education course here is uniquely inter-disciplinary and allows you to make critical links across an incredibly wide field; you can focus your interests on any one of the disciplines whilst maintaining a broad multi-faceted overview.

My interest in Education is rooted in the Chinese classic writings of Confucius and Lao Tzu that I have read with my grandparents since the age of four. Although I was not able to grasp the deep philosophical insights at such a young age, they somehow shaped my way of thinking and made me destined to be an Educationalist when I grow up. To me, studying Education here at Cambridge is like walking through a hall of a thousand casement windows; you will be able to take a peek through each window, but you will never have an idea of the whole picture of the view outside until you have visited sufficiently many windows. Being an inter-disciplinary subject, Education is just that – you will be able to study Education through a wide range of lens including psychology, history, sociology, philosophy, politics, and many more, which would ultimately shape your own holistic understanding of what Education is. Moreover, the best thing about studying at Cambridge is that you can have a significant level of autonomy in your work and receive very specific and professional feedback from your supervisors. Also, the college system at Cambridge would provide you very unique experiences in both your academic and non-academic lives. Retrospectively speaking, I had a very challenging and uncertain application season in the fall of 2020 as a result of COVID-19, especially when considering the fact that we are the first group of interviewees being interviewed remotely. Of course, as an Educationalist, I have also reflected on this experience and ponder how traditional modes and thinking in education should be reshaped in this highly globalised world in order to meet the future uncertainties like the one that we are undergoing.