Many of us experience moments of awakening and make crucial life decisions when we realise that the way in which we are living is not right. One of my own pivotal decisions was in my thirties, when I left teaching in a university to work in a deprived inner city area with students with learning difficulties. Teaching in a university was good for my head, but not for my heart. I stayed at the community college in Southwark for almost a decade, mainly running and tutoring drop-in sessions for men and women of any age, sixteen upwards, who had missed out on their schooling and wanted to come back into education. These sessions brought them up-to-speed with their literacy and numeracy skills, built their confidence and self-esteem, and helped to clarify their next steps.
