This week, we had A Conversation With…. Mr McCraw, teacher of History, Assistant Housemaster in Everett, Head of Football and 1st XI cricket team coach (he played cricket for Scotland as a schoolboy). In his third year at Shiplake College this affable member of staff has raised the (cross)bar and taken football at Shiplake to new heights.
What does your average day entail?
My days always starts with a walk along the river with our three dachshunds and I never tire of the stunning views! Next I'll either be in Everett House for check or will do some planning for the day ahead. Classes follow, for me it's mostly Sixth Form and so lessons will be spent discussing a wide range of topics from Henry VIII to the work of the United Nations. I'm heavily involved in sport here at Shiplake so every afternoon I'll be either coaching cricket, coaching football or quite often doing a bit of both. I still like to keep active myself so after coaching I'll try to squeeze in some sport, I particularly enjoy staff cricket matches in the Summer Term.
Why did you decide to become a teacher?
I was very lucky to attend an excellent school and went on to Edinburgh University. While both were wonderful places to study, I was often incredibly frustrated at the amount of time you had to spend listening to the teacher or professor talking and how little time there was for discussion. I got into teaching to give young people a platform to air their views, find their voice and engage with their topic of study. I love that we have small classes here at Shiplake.
What is your favourite period in history to teach and why?
I spent 6 years teaching in Asia, at Dulwich College Beijing and Marlborough College Malaysia and I was fascinated with the history of that region, particularly 20th century Chinese history. I also feel it is very important for students to learn about Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia as it gives them a good grounding in political theory and teaches them to value the democratic system they live under.
How has football at Shiplake changed over the past few years?
I'm primarily a cricketer but I love football and took on the Head of Football position from Mr Ebbage in 2018 as I saw the opportunity to carry on the great work that had been done by him and Mr Duncan in growing the sport at Shiplake. I'm delighted that we now have over 90 boys playing Senior Football, a very talented first team and some excellent young players coming through. I am particularly proud of the achievements of the 1st XI this season who have a very strong core of talented, enthusiastic and hard working Year 13s including captain Joe Ruffle, Matty Fitzgerald and Callum Theodorou. They really are wonderful ambassadors for their school. Their record of six wins and a draw is already the best ever for a Shiplake 1st XI and they still have four matches left to play!
As Heads of Sport our role is to give the boys the best chance of fulfilling their potential and I believe we have taken some big strides this year. The 1st XI really benefitted from the hard work they put in at their pre-season sessions at Bisham Abbey in the Autumn Term and followed this with their three day pre-season trip in January to the FA Headquarters at St George's Park. They have also been working regularly with strength and conditioning coach (and Old Viking) Ian Brown which has been a great success. When we went out on the pitch for our first game the boys had bonded as a group, they were physically prepared and they were confident in both the brand of football we would play and their role in the team.
What was your time at school like?
I loved senior school. My friends were all very ambitious academically and they really pushed me on to achieve my best. We were all very competitive and I would hate to get the lowest mark in the group. Our rugby and cricket were also very strong and we would relish our matches against local rivals.
What has been your most memorable experience at Shiplake?
There have been so many. I was incredibly lucky to take the 1st XI cricketers to Antigua last Easter and was so proud to see the boys walk out to play at the Sir Vivian Richards test match ground under lights against the best young cricketers on the island.
What does the future hold for Mr McCraw?
I'm getting married in the Easter holidays which is very exciting. Professionally I'm not one for thinking too far in the future; I'm happy as long as I'm learning and feel that I am making a positive impact my role. I'm very excited about the upcoming 1st XI cricket season and not just because of the wonderful Shiplake cream teas!
