Three generations of lecturers from the same family on what makes colleges special
27th February 2024 – Tags: Staff
As we celebrate Colleges Week 2024, we asked one family about their strong ties to the college and why they were all drawn to work in Further Education.
Three generations of the Moseley family, John, Stephen and Hannah, have all taught at City College Norwich. Between them, they have a combined 34 years working as lecturers here. In addition, they have a further 9 years’ experience of studying at our college.
John Moseley, Hannah Moseley and Stephen Moseley, who have a combined 34 years working as lecturers at the college.
Inspirational teachers
The Moseleys’ association with City College Norwich began in 1972, when John was appointed as a teacher in the Department of Printing, relocating the family from Kent to take up the position.
John had followed his uncles and grandfather into the printing industry, learning the trade through an apprenticeship in hot metal typesetting. Whilst printing remained central to John’s career, he decided early on that this would eventually be in a teaching capacity.
I had inspirational teachers myself and I thought, I’d like to do your job one day”, says John.
Continuous development
When John joined the college, printing was a sizeable department with two dedicated science labs, a design studio, classrooms, and specialised workshops. It employed 16 full-time lecturers and 5 technicians, supported by numerous specialist part-time staff.
As technological changes made the printing industry less labour-intensive, so the printing department evolved in both its scale and curriculum, being absorbed first into the Engineering Department and subsequently into the School of Information Technology.
The college is rightly known for adapting to changing skills needs, and John played his part developing the curriculum in this area – introducing a BTEC in Print Procurement and, subsequently, professional development courses in Desk Top Publishing.
He spent his ‘final happy years’ at the college in the School of Community Studies, teaching graphic design, desk-top publishing, and media, before retiring in 1998.
One of the college's printing workshops, circa 1973.
‘College brought out the best in me’
John’s son, Stephen, first came to City College Norwich as a student in 2003. Working at the time in the financial services sector, where training was part of his role, Stephen came to the college to do a Certificate in Post Compulsory Education.
He followed this up with a degree in Post-Compulsory Education and then a Masters in Learning and Teaching. In total, Stephen spent 8 years out of 9 as a City College Norwich student.
Looking back on his time as an adult learner with us, Stephen says, “I wasn’t a confident student in the early days, but college brought out the best in me and helped me to realise the potential that I had academically.”
In 2018, the opportunity arose to move out of financial services and into teaching, and Stephen joined our School of Higher Education as a sessional business lecturer. He is now course leader for this provision.
Stephen says that his experiences as a student have informed his approach as a lecturer:
I’ve found my prior experiences as a student here have been really beneficial to me in my teaching. It impacts on everything, on a daily basis. I primarily look after apprentices, and I can fully empathise with the demands of working full-time and studying simultaneously.
The experience of having studied to a higher level also helps me on the pastoral side of things, in terms of assignments and how to be a student and manage the competing demands.”
City College Norwich's Higher Education Centre at Norfolk House.
Alternative pathways to success
The third generation from the Moseley family to teach here is Stephen’s daughter, Hannah, who joined our Sixth Form Centre in September to teach A Level Psychology.
Like her dad, Hannah is a former student, having done her Psychology A Level with us in 2014-15. In contrast to Stephen and John, Hannah moved straight from completing her studies into teacher training.
With 4 years’ FE teaching experience already under her belt at another college, Hannah explains why she was drawn to FE teaching as follows:
I like the idea of second chance education or places where people can top-up their education in their adult life or people from unconventional learning backgrounds being able to access rigorous qualifications. I really believe in that ethos. I feel that’s what I received here and that’s what drew me to work in Further Education.”
A family of independent thinkers
John, Stephen, and Hannah share the view that there was nothing that could have predicted them all becoming FE teachers (never mind at the same college). Their very different pathways into teaching certainly points to it being an unforeseen outcome.
But they do see some family traits that may have made this more likely. Hannah comments:
I think all of us are quite independent thinkers and independent learners. And I think City College Norwich, and places like this, give students the space to take ownership of their learning journey. It’s not that we are a big family of whacky non-conformists, but we have our own minds. You don’t have to be a certain type of person to be here. You can be your own confident learner, your own teacher.”
Stephen adds: “We recognise the value of education to creating opportunities and the pathway to a successful future.”