Staff Focus: Kirstie McLeod, Primary PE Teacher

Written by: Roseline Yang, Community Liaison Officer

Since your introduction by our Co-Principal and our Athletic Director Matt Uffindall at last May’s Parent Coffee Morning, we have been waiting excitedly to finally get to know you! You have been long awaited by the whole school community!

Please tell us what convinced you to come to Shanghai and join our school!

I’ve been teaching P.E in Edinburgh, Scotland as a Primary P.E specialist for 3 years and I wanted a new experience of teaching abroad. When I first discovered YCIS I knew that the school was a great fit for my teaching philosophy and YCIS really values P.E and Sports.  When I met Damien at my interview and learnt more about the school I knew that YCIS and Shanghai were perfect for me.

What inspired you to become a P.E. Teacher?

Well, from what I remember, I always wanted to become a teacher. I liked helping people in my class and showing others how to do things so I thought teaching would suit me. History was my favorite subject along with P.E, so it was between the two. I remember at that time my Physics teacher told me that I could be anything (due to my exam results), and he didn’t understand why I would want to teach P.E and that made me want to prove to him why it was valuable and a good career choice.

I also had two great female P.E Teachers that inspired me. One was super enthusiastic, positive and encouraging and has great passion for P.E. – I knew I wanted to be that kind of teacher.  The other was the head of department in my high school and she was a good role model for showing a female in a leadership role. She was also very caring, supportive and approachable which I knew early on were important qualities in a teacher.

You asked about golf when you just arrived in Shanghai. Did you used to play? What sports do you fancy in general?

Yes, I love golf. I started when I was 7 and have played in many competitions and tournaments as a junior and now as an adult just play weekly club medals. I represented my school golf team, my club junior squad and club Ladies team. I was also Ladies Vice captain of my golf club. As a junior I had a fantastic opportunity to play golf in Sweden, on three occasions – representing Scotland – in the Viking Trophy. I captained the team on our final year and we won the trophy!

However, Golf shared my spare time with Athletics, my other favorite sport, which I started when I was 8. I was a sprinter and trained and competed on a weekly basis until I was 19. Over the years I won many medals including local, district and national. My 4×100 relay team won Bronze at the National Championships.

I loved being active and really enjoyed sport and also captained my school Volleyball and Netball teams. I continued to play netball for Edinburgh University in my first year but unfortunately had a few years out of sport due to a string of serious knee injuries.

Wow! How did you get into these kinds of sports so early? These are not regular sports you get started with in general, I mean golf and athletics, especially. 

My dad introduced me to golf. He took up golf later into adulthood and regretted never having the opportunity as a child so he made sure that my sister, brother and I had that opportunity. I started Athletics because I was always the fastest runner in my class and I remember seeing a poster in my primary school advertising a local club so I asked my dad to take me along.

Can you tell us a bit more about golf especially about your international experience?

This was a tournament set up by my local district in the west of Scotland so I wasn’t selected from the whole of Scotland as such. However, it was a fantastic opportunity and my first year I was selected I was only 14. It was my first time away from my parents: I flew to Sweden and was hosted by a member of the Swedish team. The trophy we played for was called the Viking trophy and was played over 3 days, the same format as the Ryder Cup. The following year, we held the tournament in Scotland, so I had a Swedish girl living with me throughout the tournament.

My first year was very daunting and I lost all my matches. I was very lucky to be involved with the program for 5 years, because experience, hard work and practice do pay. In my final year, I was 18, had gained lots of experience, was a much better golfer and was selected as Captain. I won all my games and we won the trophy!

Yeah! – So…did you always want to be a leader?

Oh yes! I have always enjoyed taking the lead and having responsibility, especially in a sporting team. I always loved competition and I am very motivated and enjoy winning!

I am even competitive with my friends and beat my best friend in votes for the captain of the school netball team. But in our final year of high school, I competed with her for school Captain and she beat me this time. I had to settle for vice-captain!

How did you become a leader and how can you be a good leader?

In school I was either chosen by my peers or by the teacher. I guess because I am really motivated, responsible, can help others and was even though I don’t like to lose I have good sportsmanship.

In to adulthood, I enjoy a leadership role and I think I am confident talking in front of others, passionate, organized, fair, and show good initiative.

And…what is your ambition for the future?

Well my dream would be to have an influential role in P.E curriculum design, whether that be in the UK or internationally. I am passionate about P.E and how valuable it is to a child’s education. For the moment, I want to enjoy teaching P.E in this new environment, contribute my ideas and vision to YCIS and to inspire students.

One last word you would like to share with our school community?

I am delighted to be part of the YCIS community and I am thankful for how welcome everybody has made me feel. I wish I can share the true value of P.E and hope my passion will influence others.