The person responsible
About Jo
Teacher, builder, musician, allotment person, and occasional creator of fictional megacities.
This site is my notebook, workshop, and general archive. I try not to delete things.
I used to work in software engineering and engineering management, including a stint building banking software. It was sometimes interesting, sometimes useful, and frequently accompanied by the sort of corporate turbulence that makes everyone update their CV just in case.
Why I left software for teaching
Eventually, I got tired of the boom-and-bust cycle, the redundancies, and the creeping suspicion that I was mostly helping shareholders become fractionally more comfortable. I wanted work that helped people more directly—specifically, young people, which I know sounds earnest, but there it is. I also just love maths.
So I became a maths teacher. Teaching is not exactly famous for its low stress, but it involves actual human beings, a subject I love, and a job where you can make a visible difference. So far, so good.
What I still build
I still code, but now usually in ways that connect to education. The main project is TeachMaths.net—free interactive tools, digital manipulatives, and question generators for maths teachers.
Other interests
- Music
- I play music with a small band. We have no name yet.
- Allotment
- The carrots are struggling, but the bindweed is thriving.
- Worldbuilding
- I play and run tabletop RPGs and build the worlds they happen in.
- Reading
- Currently working through the Rivers of London series.
A few things I believe
On maths
Anyone can be a mathematician, but the earlier you build your skills the better—it becomes harder as life goes on.
On learning
“Memory is the residue of thought.”
— Daniel Willingham
On worldbuilding
Build worlds you actually want to build, and steal everything.