Five Minutes of Fame with Lucy Richardson

Lucy Richardson is DUCKS creative art teacher at Dulwich College (Singapore) and has been at the College for the past five years. Here, she shares her favourite children's literature, the moment she is most proud of at Dulwich College (Singapore) and the dinner party guest she would love to take a selfie with!

Where else in the world have you lived?

Before we moved to Singapore, I had only ever lived in the UK. My husband James and I spent several years living in South London and we moved out to Berkshire after Toby was born. I grew up in Buxton, Derbyshire (famous for its water!) surrounded by many hills and my large extended family. We spent every summer in North Wales so that also feels a little like home.

Tell us about your family.

I’m married to James and we have Toby who is in Year 10 and Ellie who is in Year 7. Our families are spread out all over the world from Canada to the UK to New Zealand. I’m very lucky that our move to Singapore actually brought us closer to my Dad, who lives in Thailand.

What’s your favourite weekend activity in Singapore?

We’re usually busy running around getting to various sporting engagements, but we always try to find the time to be together as a family. I love that there is usually a myriad of activities going on in Singapore – theatre, sport and culture - which we can do, as well as such easy access to nature. We like to finish the weekend with our favourite family meal at home (shabu-shabu) or try out a new hawker. We have all been very lucky to make close friends since our move to Singapore and we love spending time with them.

Did you always want to be a teacher?

Apart from a brief childhood determination to join the Army and a retirement dream of selling coconuts on a beach, teaching has always been my passion. I feel immensely lucky going to work and doing something that I enjoy.

What is your favourite book and who is your favourite author?

I would have to turn to children’s literature for both these answers. The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis has always been a favourite. We were able to see the decorated wooden door (which was the inspiration for the character of Mr Tumnus) and the Narnia lamp post when visiting Oxford this year. I have loved, read and re-read all the fantastic stories written by Roald Dahl as a child, parent and teacher.

Tell us about a hidden talent or a top secret that no-one would know about you.

In the spirit of lifelong learning, I have been trying to learn more about photography. It has been fun practising a new skill which gets me out and about exploring more areas in Singapore. However, I am still a little way from saying it’s a talent!

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party, dead or alive?

David Bowie – I’m a lifelong fan and I’d definitely take the chance to grab a selfie. I bumped into him in a street in New York many years ago, very frustratingly without a camera!

Roger Waters member of my favourite band Pink Floyd. I’m sure we could have a good singalong to some of their classics.

Hayao Miyazaki – founder of the wonderful Studio Ghibli which is responsible for some of our absolute favourite family animation movies. I have always admired his wonderful storytelling and how he often uses strong female leads in his stories.

William Shakespeare – I was introduced to Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream during my A-Levels and I’m now loving introducing our DUCKS children to his wonderful language and magical storylines.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes – I’d love to hear first-hand about his very many great travelling adventures.

What does a typical day at the College look like for you?

I think that all teachers can say that there is no such thing as a typical day and that is one of the reasons why teaching is such an interesting and rewarding job! I work with each year group in DUCKS, so across the course of just one day I could be: showing Reception children how to move like woodland creatures; encouraging Year 1 children to use their loudest voices in the theatre; helping children construct wild and wonderful creations in my Maker Space lunchtime CCA; doing interactive storytelling with Nursery; and then half an hour later watching Year 2s performing snippets of Shakespeare.

Do you have a motto or saying that really resonates with you?

To take a phrase from The Wizard of Oz – ‘There’s no place like home’. We are very lucky we get to visit family and friends all around the world and the opportunity of amazing travelling adventures during our holidays. However, it is also always really lovely to open the front door and get back home!

Do you have a most memorable teacher moment?

Countless, but it would have to be all the DUCKS theatre performances I’ve been involved in over the last five years. The combination of our awesome theatre facilities, fantastic specialist support from the music department and the immense efforts from the children (with a little help from their teachers!) has led to some amazing arts showcases.