When Declan Coyte entered university, his future seemed destined for spreadsheets and ledgers – until a pivotal moment at the end of his first year changed everything. Following in his mother’s footsteps, Declan made the bold decision to swap accounting for the classroom. Today, he’s an indispensable part of the English department, where his passion for literature and learning inspires students far beyond numbers.

You’ve been at Radford College for 6 years – how did you first start here and what first drew you to teaching?

In 2019, I was working at Sydney Secondary College in Leichhardt. I was in a long-distance relationship with my now-wife and was very keen to move to Canberra. Luckily for me, the English faculty had 3 positions open at once. I remember thinking it didn’t matter which role I got (there was a permanent role, a short-term contract and a one-term relief position), as long as I got something that allowed me to move to Canberra. Fortunately, I got the permanent role, and I’ve been here ever since.

As for what initially drew me to teaching, I was studying accounting at Macquarie University and not really enjoying it. I realised after my first year that I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my life. A friend was studying teaching, and I figured why not? My mum had been an English teacher, so I felt like I had a sense of the work and knew I’d enjoy it far more than accounting.

Your wife also works at Radford College. What’s it like sharing the school day together and did the 2 of you meet through teaching?

Radford is such a large school, and with Steph being in science, we rarely see each other during the day. It’s always a nice surprise when we do. We both studied teaching at UNSW, but we actually met in high school and didn’t start dating until well after uni.

Did you always know you wanted to teach English or was it something that developed over time?

I actually worked as a human society and its environment (HSIE) teacher in Sydney for the first few years of my career. I taught a wide range of subjects across Years 7–12 (legal studies, economics, business studies, ancient and modern history, and geography). My brief stint in accounting meant I could teach some subjects outside my English and history degree. My first English classes were at Radford. It was a tricky transition at the time – I wasn’t used to all the marking – but now I’m not sure I would switch back. I enjoyed the variety of HSIE, but being an English teacher lets me study and teach the topics I find most interesting.

Is there a favourite book or piece of literature that inspires the way you teach or that you love sharing with your students?

A recent piece I thoroughly enjoyed was the original The Fox and the Hound by Daniel P Mannix. Fair warning though – it’s nothing like the Disney film and definitely not something I’d read to little kids. An author I read a lot growing up was Terry Pratchett. His Discworld novels had a big impact on me and his blend of humour and social commentary probably influences the way I teach more than any other writer. I’d also recommend Bill Watterson’s 1990 Kenyon College commencement speech. I’ve had it on my wall since I was at uni.

You studied with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon – what was that experience like and has it influenced the way you approach your classroom?

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was incredibly lucky to go and I owe a big thanks to Radford College and Maria Whiting in particular for the opportunity. It has definitely influenced the way I teach Shakespeare. I try to apply the lessons I learnt there to other texts, but they’re most useful with the plays. This year I taught 4 of my 5 classes a Shakespeare play, so it’s had a significant impact on my practice. I’d love to go back sometime. I can’t tell you how exhausting it is to do a round trip to England in less than a week – it feels like a blur now.

People might be surprised to know that…

I’m not sure if this is surprising, but I’m a massive gamer. When I was in my early 20s, I was ranked in the top 1% globally in a video game called Dota 2 and at the time had around 5000 hours in the game (now it’s closer to 7000).