Isabella has worked on shows such as The Voice and the Logies red carpet.
Did they have any words of wisdom for you? A perspective that has resonated with me has been to develop respectful and healthy relationships with your students in order for effective teaching and learning to take place. Everyone wants to feel valued and cared for by the significant figures in their world, whether it’s their bosses, parents or colleagues. Students are no different. As a teacher, building strong relationships in your classroom is hugely important. What have you taken away from your teaching placements at the College? I haven’t walked through the Talbot Street gates in so long, so it was great to be met by a sea of familiar and new faces on the teaching staff. The College community is so welcoming; I suppose you never truly leave. I have been fortunate enough to spend six weeks teaching Years 9 and 10 at Senior School across Chris Morgan’s Media and Catherine Newett’s English and Literature classes. The students are so friendly, saying “hello” between classes and thanking me at the end of a lesson. I was so impressed with this level of respect that they show towards each other, their teachers and the school. Currently I am working in the boarding house at St Catherine’s School as I finish my Masters of Teaching at Monash, yet a move back to Geelong is on the cards. I have taught at Haileybury for six weeks and have spent days out at many other schools such as Belmont High School, Bendigo Senior Secondary, Eltham College, Bialik College and Geelong Grammar’s Timbertop to gain a broader perspective of what teaching and learning looks
like in different contexts. My experience in the private sector has been hugely positive, yet I have especially enjoyed my time teaching at College. How did you feel about your career options when you were in VCE? And what’s your advice to students who might be feeling uncertain right now? Year 12 is a blur, you can blink and another three months slip by. I met with a group of Year 12s at College recently and the memories came flooding back: the SACs, Saturday sport, study, parties, exams and work. There is little time left to properly ask yourself what you would like to pursue once you leave school. I remember feeling certain that I wanted to go to uni and study the humanities, yet I was unsure about where that might lead me in terms of a career. I think the advent of social media as an effective networking tool means that you can now readily contact and speak to professionals in careers that you might be interested in. Use your initiative to start conversations with people to discuss how they came to be at the career and role they are in, and to chat about strategies in developing your own career pathways. Additionally, it is a huge leap to finish school and begin something new; you might also move out, move up to Melbourne, interstate or overseas. Welcome the new elements into your life: the people, the place you wind up in and all that comes with it, but remember to still make time for your family and friends from home.
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