Susan Russell

I taught in the U.K. for 15 years - temporary and permanent positions plus supply/substitute teaching. I taught all year groups at primary/elementary level and have done some substitute teaching since arriving in the USA. My degree was in History so I always particularly enjoyed teaching this subject, and creating class plays/assemblies around what I was teaching in the classroom - whether it be Ancient Egyptians or King Henry VIII and his Six Wives!

My teaching style has been a mixture of whole class teaching, and small group teaching, focusing on the positive! I am a great believer in teaching through 'role play' which is what my plays and group readers are about!I feel passionately about this mode of teaching. Do visit my website www.plays-r-ussell.com to learn more me and my writing!

I have a BA Honors Degree in History - from Exeter University; a PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) - from Hull University; and a Counselling Certificate.

I have 10 O'Levels, 3 A'Levels, a degree in History and a PGCE, plus counselling certificate. I went into teaching after dipping into a number of other 'fields' - one of the most enjoyable being working for a wildlife conservation society (as membership secretary)based in London Zoo.

I taught for 15 years in the UK, then took up writing following the performance of one of my class plays (Henry VIII and his six wives)which was a massive hit with children and adults alike. This (plus comments like "You're in the wrong job - go work for the BBC!)gave me the confidence to sit down and write - plays based on the curriculum, starting with coverage of the history/social studies curriculum and moving onto other subjects such as science, geography and PSHCE. I am now living in the United States where I do the occasional day substitute teaching but most of my time I am writing - building up the collection of plays and group readers that are available off my website www.plays-r-ussell.com I see my plays as mainly performance pieces but I write them 'as a teacher, for teachers' so that they are easy to deliver, with minimum stress! I recognise that some teachers enjoy drama/class performance more than others, but I would defy anyone not to enjoy the 'music suggestions'! These are deliberately chosen to 'lift' the performance - they are rocks songs familiar to children and adults alike and in my experience they definitely add to the enjoyment of the experience! In addition to these class plays, I have written an extensive collection of 'Group Readers' which are intended for smaller groups, of 6 children; these come in sets of 5 'mini plays' which have quizzes attached and are, I think a great classroom resource. As these cover 5 aspects of the subject in depth, they are an excellent supplementary material to the class plays.I am always happy to answer questions about my work - feel free to email me on sue@plays-r-ussell.com or visit my website www.plays-r-ussell.com for more information.