Kicking off a brand new series is an interview with James Ball. 

James spent twenty years as a history teacher, head of history and head of humanities in schools in the West Midlands. 

He has been writing textbooks since 2008 and a change in circumstances recently precipitated him leaving the classroom to begin writing full-time. 

He now lives in Copenhagen with his partner and daughter and authors textbooks, popular history books, educational blogs and articles. He also creates teaching resources for a range of charities.

In this interview we talk through:

• James’ teaching journey and early career
• The challenges of teaching and financial strain
• His transition to writing textbooks
• Balancing teaching with family life
• Leaving teaching and embracing freelancing

Visit James’ website (www.ballpointcopy.co.uk). Say hello to him on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/ballpointcopy). You can also have a look at his textbooks on  medicine and Henry VIII  and the American West and America, 1920-73 , read his article about dual coding and another about the impact of the history curriculum review. You can also listen to him on this podcast for Oxford University Press. 

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This podcast was produced and edited by Simon Elvin - say hello to him over on LinkedIn

Music by Escape from the Giant Bubble Follow them on Instagram @escape_from_the_giant_bubble

Got a question you’d like answering on the podcast? Email me and let me know at [email protected]

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