Secondary School,
Queensland
What inspired you to get into teaching?
When I was in Year 12, I was unsure of what I wanted to do after I left school. I knew I liked technology and working practically and with people, so I considered a variety of trades, engineering, and IT. When I saw the variety of what my teachers did in a day, the enjoyment and positivity they brought to the job, the collegiality, and the fact that they got to work with all the technical things that I loved learning about, I knew that being a teacher in the technology area could be a real option. I was lucky enough to do a specialist teaching degree in technology and from my first teaching practicum I was hooked.
Why do you teach?
I don’t think I could do any other job! Teaching is simultaneously tiring and enlivening. I get to spend my days sharing my passions, solving problems and building things with young people, giving them a range of skills they need to succeed in whatever direction their life takes them.
What’s your stand out/most memorable teaching moment?
Anytime I run into a past student at the shops or an event and they take the time to share their journey after school, career successes and where life has taken them. Their memories of a small moment, a seemingly inconsequential moment in my day that has had a memorable or significant impact in their life.
What is your advice for new teachers or people considering a career in teaching?
Teaching can be an extremely complex profession, but I like to describe it as a team sport. The more you work together, the more your teaching practice will become enjoyable and successful. Expert teaching looks effortless and is joyful to watch but it comes from practice and developing habits and routines. The best teachers have the best habits as their behaviour influences all around them.
Positive relationships are the key, students need to know they belong and that you believe in them - it's what you say and how you say it.
