In this week's 'A Conversation With... ' we had a chat with Head of Business Studies and self professed croquet fanatic Mr Ed Olhausen. Mr Olhausen came into teaching after many years working in manufacturing and retail and hasn't looked back. Outside of work he loves spending time with his family and music. And did we mention, he loves croquet... ?
How long have you been at Shiplake and what is your role (previously and now)?
I am into my fourth year at Shiplake College and enjoying it as much now as I ever have. I joined as a business teacher and then took over the Head of Department role in my second year. I'm sure Mr Rose had done his best but in reality he was running out of ideas and it needed a fresh pair of eyes and the passion and energy I could bring to the department (alright the truth is Mr Rose took over the Welsh Housemaster role which opened up the opportunity). I've also taken on the Orchard Assistant Housemaster role this year and am enjoying the privilege of working alongside Mr Ralph in the best house in the school.
What is your background in Business and what inspired you to become a teacher?
After my business degree I spent four years in manufacturing mainly in buying, production, and logistics. I then joined a family-owned retail business for 11 years as Operations Director where I had the opportunity to dabble in most aspects of the business including HR, marketing, finance and customer service. Having also been involved in leading church youth groups and teaching guitar, I realised how much I enjoyed passing on my infinite wisdom to others and so the idea of moving into teaching was never far from my mind. However with three children, making the change was always going to be a stretch financially. I finally bit the bullet as I approached my 40th birthday, completed my PGCE at Reading University and I’ve now been teaching 10 years.
What would you say is the best thing about Shiplake College?
Here's my top five favourite things... (in order)
1. The new croquet lawn
2. Being able to bring my dog Jack to work
3. The food
4. Business department students and staff
5. Orchard House students and staff
What is the best thing about teaching Business at Shiplake?
Despite the fact that I see the same classes every day, no two days are the same. The students make it an absolute joy to be in the classroom and we have a lot of fun while we learn together.
What would you say is your most memorable teaching moment so far?
It was a strange time during the pre-summer lockdown period but it also provided some memorable and magic moments. The virtual meetings with my tutees and students were meaningful and rewarding and I enjoyed creating my "Lessons from the Loft" business teaching video series - I think my students found them helpful.
We are obviously experiencing unprecedented times with COVID-19 and lots of businesses have had to adapt to survive. How did you adapt teaching business during these times, and will you be continuing with any of the changes you have made?
I like to think I embraced the challenge and opportunities that lockdown learning presented. I was keen to try out various digital tools to support my teaching and I'm really pleased I did because I probably wouldn't have discovered them otherwise. Screencastify and Google Jamboard were my favourites and I have continued to use them back in the classroom.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Croquet, music and spending time with my wonderful family.
Where in the world would you like to visit that you haven't already visited?
I love traveling and experiencing different cultures. India is probably top of my list.
As always.... What does the future hold for Mr Olhausen?
Getting my croquet handicap down to single figures (I’m close!), planning another road trip across the States with my family, paying off the mortgage and retiring... so I can enjoy even more croquet!
