Hi there, I’m Jimmy!

I have been playing video games for as long as I can remember—it’s hard to forget opening
up that original PlayStation console (there was only one at the time!) and diving headfirst into
world after fantastic world. I saved all the dragons in Spyro the Dragon, liberated the Gobbos
in Croc, and fought countless battles in Tekken 3 for control of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Five
console generations in (wow, now I feel old), and I’m really enjoying the broad scope of
gaming—whether that’s building in Minecraft or teaming up with some buddies online in
Fortnite or other co-op games!

With some of my own mental health challenges to overcome, games have been an amazing
outlet. Having that reliable safe space helped me throughout school, and I have been
inspired by dozens of heroic characters, scenarios, and worlds to take personal hardships
across my life by the horns. If I could save the people of Tsushima Island as The Ghost, New
York as Spider-Man, or battle literal demons in Doom, I could try my best to beat challenges
in real life too.

I think this has had a really big impact on my teaching career. I spent nine years working in
schools—four of those as a qualified teacher—working with people who have special needs.
By far the best and most rewarding aspect of my career has been helping children and
young people through their own personal challenges. So many amazing and talented young
people can feel lost in a fog of confusion or emotion, or maybe just feel like they don’t belong
anywhere. Being able to guide them through that by building their self-esteem and
confidence is hugely rewarding. I’ve worked in every Key Stage group and have experience
working with children and young people who are autistic, have ADHD, anxiety, and other challenges.

I am very excited to work with MindJam because life can sometimes feel like the village in
Resident Evil—confusing, foreboding, and crawling with monsters. But there are places to
feel safe (like MindJam), where you can collect yourself and use your skills and experience
to move forward.

I am DBS-checked and have multiple areas of training, including safeguarding.