#90: Milo O’Shea - Teaching To Inspire

Milo O’Shea had a very significant impact on my development in my teenage years and beyond. He was a unique figure in my secondary school who never shied away from showing his students how he really felt. This wasn’t always pretty but it was human. This aspect of humanity is crucial to the growth of young people, in my opinion. Milo was one of the few teachers in my life that really demonstrated an interest in the student’s development, as a person – not just academically. I specifically remember him telling my class one day that it will be our attitude and perspective ‘out there’ that will dictate our experience of life rather than the results of upcoming exams. As the years have passed by, these words have never veered too far away from my regular thought rotation. I wanted to record a conversation with him to talk about how he cultivated that perspective in himself, the need for deep internal questioning, how he views teaching, the power of music and poetry to evoke inspiration and much more. This was a special chat for me and I’m very grateful he agreed to come on. I’m very confident that anyone who has a fond memory of an early teacher or mentor will take something from this.