Meet Jamie Snell
MYP Visual Arts and Media Teacher
It was fifteen years ago that Jamie Snell took a punt. Two punts really. The first was to move to Sweden with his partner and the second, shortly afterwards, was to apply for a job for which he was not qualified – but was more than adequately equipped.
Having graduated with a degree in illustration, Jamie had been earning a living as a graphic designer and felt uninspired by his day-to-day work. The idea of a move to Sweden, therefore, seemed like an opportunity to have an adventure if nothing else.
He started studying Swedish language as soon as he arrived, determined to equip himself to thrive in the new environment. When the time came to look for work, that’s when his progress accelerated rapidly.
‘I spotted a job being advertised at SIS. I felt I could do it, though I did not have a formal teaching qualification, but I thought, ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ and so I applied. To my surprise, I got an interview. Then to my astonishment, I got the job.’
Getting the job though was conditional on obtaining a formal qualification to teach in Sweden, which led to an intense, and exhausting period. ‘I was studying every night to reach University standard Swedish and then studying remotely for the teaching qualification from the University of Umeå. All of this was in parallel with working during the day. It was a tough time, but I made it through.’
Jamie had started his teaching experience as an assistant to an autistic child and knew he enjoyed the engagement very much. As he grew into his role at SIS that sense of enjoyment only increased. His obvious enthusiasm in contagious, and it’s hard to imaging any student not being energised by Mr Snell’s energy. ‘It’s a two way street’ he explains, ‘I see the students express themselves and that fires my enthusiasm which feeds back to them.’
One of the things currently exciting Jamie is the development of the subject he is teaching, as media and digital art have formed a bigger part of the curriculum over recent years. The subject is now a blend of creativity and technical ability as computer animation, 3D modelling, and digital art become part of the creative landscape alongside traditional painting, illustration, and graphic design. Jamie is loving learning about these new forms and developing lessons around the curriculum content. ‘It’s exciting to see the students discover themselves, their opinions, and their understanding of the world around them, and then to express that visually in whatever media most appeals to them. Having them share their thinking and how they analyse subjects and respond to them is just as compelling too – it’s not all about artistic execution.’
With his abundance of energy and playful good humour, it’s not surprising that Middle School students last term voted him the recipient of a large scarf made by students as part of a sponsored knitting challenge last term. And he was obviously a popular choice when it was presented at our end-of-term concert.
Jamie tempers his energy in the classroom with his personal artistic creations. His style? Not fixed. ‘I like to explore different styles, and will go through phases.’ What was the last thing he painted? ‘An octopus in oils!’ You can see some examples of Jamie’s work below, and you can see more examples on his Instagram account at jamie_snell_artportfolio.
In 15 years at SIS he must have seen many changes. ‘I have’ he says. ‘SIS has really grown in that time. Sometimes I miss the fact that the whole faculty used to be able to get together in the auditorium but that’s not really an option now. I think people love working at SIS but maybe we have lost a little of the family feeling. Maybe Norra Latin will give us the chance to do that once more. That sounds like a really exciting opportunity opening up for us. I’m really looking forward to seeing what it brings.’
