People of Nobel Algarve: James Harrison

James Harrison qualified as a teacher in 1989 and since then has worked in a variety of schools in the UK and Hong Kong. Prior to taking up his current position in Nobel Algarve he was the Principal of a large International Primary school in Hong Kong. He joined Nobel Algarve Almancil in September 2023 as Head of Primary.

 

Where did you grow up, and what was it like there?

I grew up in the north-west of England, near Wigan. Life was fun and care-free with lots of time to go outside and play with friends. I have an older brother who lives not far from where he was born.

 

What’s a tradition your family had while growing up that you still cherish?

A tradition we had was to always enjoy holidays together, often travelling to France for camping holidays. Holidays were precious times when the family could be together.

 

What’s your all-time favourite book, movie, or TV show?

My favourite all-time favourite performance is a musical – Ms Saigon which I have seen several times in different cities and countries. The story is very moving, and I love the music.

 

What’s a favourite memory from your childhood?

Spending long days in the summer holidays on our bikes with friends, often far from home. Of course, we didn't have mobile phones then, so our parents would not know where we were – as long as we were ‘back for tea’ that was all that mattered!

 

How did you become interested in working in education?

My grandmother was a teacher and when I was at primary school, I often thought about being a teacher – even to the point of writing my own maths homework to do and then marking it!

 

Tell us about your greatest achievement

Probably conquering a slight fear of water and completing a PADI suba diving course in the Philippines. Having said that, I haven't done it since!

 

What is your steepest learning curve?

Learning how to ride a motorcycle in a one-week intensive training course, followed by a test – which luckily, I passed.

 

How do you remain curious?

By being fascinated in why things are the way they are and wanting to learn new things – for example I recently started learning about astronomy and have been taking images of deep space objects.

 

What motivates you to keep going during challenging times?

Knowing that things usually work out for the best and that we do things for the right reasons.

 

Who is someone in your life who has had a significant influence on who you are today?

A colleague who became a good friend. He believed in me and supported me and in the end, I think we were both able to learn from each other.

 

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Trust your gut feeling – it is usually right.

 

Nobel Algarve is a great place because...

We are all always learning and supporting each other to.

 

What would you like the community of Nobel to know about you?

 I love animals and currently have 3 rescue dogs (2 brought from Hong Kong and 1 from Portugal), 3 rescue cats and 4 hens.

 

What’s something you hope to accomplish in the next five years?

Accomplish the evasive ‘work-life balance’!