4 minute read
Alumni journey: Jesse McKinnon Full circle
‘His transition from student to teacher made surprisingly seamless by his high school leaders happily welcoming him in as an equal.’
Full circle
Story by Poppy Fitzpatrick. Photograph by Jason Porter.
Being raised by a strong network of supportive people is a privilege shared by many of those who’ve grown up on Fleurieu soil. In childhood, it begins with our parents’ close-knit circles. As teenagers, often it’s teachers who become our biggest sources of inspiration. Then as young adults, bosses in part-time jobs impart some of our most valuable life lessons, along with the dedicated regulars patiently receiving a shaky cup of coffee.
As 23-year-old Jesse McKinnon returns to his former school Encounter Lutheran College to take up his first post as a middle and senior school teacher, this lifecycle has begun to turn again.
Jesse started at Encounter in year three, after moving from Grange to Port Elliot with his parents and older sister. He recalls the move as an exciting change of scenery for their family, while maintaining the coastal lifestyle they loved. Spending the remainder of his primary schooling on the south coast, Jesse then kicked off his high school career at Tatachilla Lutheran College, where he joined a much larger cohort than he had experienced at Encounter.
Eventually, the lure of Encounter’s basketball program – and a much shorter commute – pulled him back to complete years 11 and 12 and he was among the school’s first year of senior school graduates. Jesse and his peers were able to grow in chorus with Encounter, as it slowly expanded its classes through to year 12 with each year they completed. ‘Because we had such small classes, we got so much more one-on-one time with the teachers. It was a really tight-knit community and I really loved my entire schooling there,’ Jesse says.
Jesse’s extracurricular activities were always centred around sport, with football an integral part of his connection to the southern Fleurieu community, as well as his broader network at South Adelaide Football Club. Jesse was given continuous support throughout his final two years of school, allowing him to train three to four nights a week with South Adelaide while keeping on top of his studies. Jesse speaks fondly of the teachers who made school an enjoyable and engaging environment for a student whose talents and interests existed primarily on the sporting field. Jesse connected particularly well with his PE teacher Sam Dunbar and maths and biology teacher Troy Wegner – both of whom shared his passion for sport, and made course content relatable to him and his peers. ‘It was in year 11 and 12 that I started to enjoy maths and other things I hadn’t so much in previous years because they made it so engaging and fun,’ he says.
It’s no surprise that Jesse then went on to study a Bachelor of Human Movement at UniSA, majoring in PE with a minor in maths, followed by a Masters of Teaching (Secondary). Now, even as his role models have become colleagues, Jesse still consciously adopts his favourite parts of their teaching styles as he continues to develop his own – including encouraging students beyond the classroom, just as they did for him.
Well beyond his graduation, Jesse’s Encounter teachers urged him to apply for a new position opening at the school. As house captain in years 11 and 12, along with his experience coaching the Saint Peter’s boys football team during his final university placement, Jesse’s leadership skills equipped him to re-enter the classroom environment, now standing in front of the class rather than sitting behind a desk. In only his first year out of uni, Jesse walked straight into a full-year contract at his old stomping ground – his transition from student to teacher made surprisingly seamless by his high school leaders happily welcoming him in as an equal.
As Jesse juggles teaching a full load, including his year eight homegroup, health and PE, maths and science, he somehow still manages to find a balance that seems only possible in this part of the world. Entering a new stage of the Fleurieu lifecycle, Jesse and his fiancé Winnie are preparing to move into their first home in McCracken, along with their golden retriever Archie. After 15 years of seemingly endless commutes, Jesse seems to have found his professional and personal place, with everything he loves – work, friends and family, a cold beer at Hotel Elliot or a cup of De Groot coffee – only ever ten minutes away.
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