BRENDA BRETT - 30 YEARS AT GENAZZANO

30 Years at Genazzano

Brenda Brett | English Teacher

When I commenced my role as Head of History at the College in 1990, I could not have envisaged that I would spend the next 30 years here! Who would plan for such a long stay? I say 30 years but there have been some breaks away, such as the year I spent teaching my way around Australia in 2003. What splendid memories and experiences I was able to bring back to Genazzano. Memories of teaching international students at the Cairns College of English or my teaching stints in the Northern Territory and Western Australia will forever remain in my heart.

My career at Genazzano has also embraced teaching English at all levels, which provided me with further variety in my daily teaching schedule. Naturally, I have some amazing memories dating back over the years such as the concluding English lesson I gave to a Year 10 class several years ago before the December break. They gave me a standing ovation when I farewelled them which brought me to tears. When I asked them why they had done so, they simply told me that throughout the year I had given them a voice, listened to them and talked to them, not at them. Words which have ever since resonated with me and which we should, perhaps, all take note of. Then there was an occasion recently when I was being served a cappuccino in a café on the other side of town. “Ms Brett” a lovely young waitress called out in delight, relaying a memory of hers when I taught her in Year 9 at least ten years prior. Apparently, someone had asked me in that class whether I ever swore, to which I replied, “I think anyone who swears has a very limited vocabulary”, which indicates that our wise words are often never forgotten. Whilst English teaching may have evolved over the years, wide, in-depth reading along with confident oral expression should always be the mainstay which underpins this crucial subject and affects performance in other areas. It would be difficult to identify novels which I think all students should read, but I feel almost compelled to recommend The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman both of which are in our superb College library. I will certainly miss the recommendations, book discussions and excellent support of the library team! I would like to also recommend two excellent films for staff and students to watch and perhaps, hopefully, they might come to the attention of curriculum writers: Belle and Sebastian (subtitles) and Hunt for the Wilder People. I do not always follow traditional paths in my classes but, hopefully, this has made the experiences memorable and longlasting for my students. I have always been gratified by their feedback. I feel privileged to have been a staff member at the College for so long; I have such wonderful memories and I hope that I have had a beneficial influence not only on the hundreds of students I have instructed over the years, but also on other staff members.

A sketch by one of Brenda's Year 12 History students.