SHARON KELLY English Teacher
GREG MIKKELSEN Chinese Teacher
CATHY DANGAR ESS Teacher
In Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew Tranio advises Lucentio, “No profit grows where is no pleasure ta’en. In brief, sir, study what you most affect.” Upon finishing school I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I took the advice of my parents, which echoed that of Tranio, and studied what I most loved: Humanities. I attained my Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney, majoring in English and History. Feeling that I simply must take up teaching, I then quickly enrolled in a Master of Teaching at the University of Melbourne.
Challenging yet rewarding is the way I would characterise the Chinese language, one that repays every effort put into learning it.
I have taught for 30 years and, like many others, was drawn to the profession thanks to a particularly inspiring teacher from my own school days. In my case it was a music teacher I greatly admired; appropriately my first job was teaching music at the New England Girl’s School in Armidale.
At the completion of this degree I was offered a position at Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School in Melbourne, where I taught for four years. It was there I became fascinated by Richard III, the “bunch-backed toad” as Shakespeare put it. I travelled to London, visited the rough-hewn recreated Globe Theatre and attended an exhibition entitled ‘Shakespeare: Staging the World’ at the British Museum. Given that I was born in South Africa and grew up during the transition to democratic rule, for me the most interesting piece in the exhibition was perhaps the smuggled copy of The Complete Works of Shakespeare that Nelson Mandela read whilst imprisoned on Robben Island. Mandela took encouragement from a passage in Julius Caesar that begins, “Cowards die many times before their deaths: The valiant never taste of death but once.” It was incredibly powerful to know how much the great man had been inspired by the great writer. On my return to Australia I applied to do my Master of Arts in English, at University College London, focusing on Shakespeare in history. Undertaking this study while living in the place that Shakespeare himself wrote deepened my understanding of him in his own time and the effect he has had on our modern world and made me a better teacher of both Shakespeare and Early Modern England. Next I am keen to learn more about Dickens’ London. I have begun by seeing his home, eating in some of his favourite taverns and visiting his grave in Westminster Cathedral— now to delve ever more deeply into his books.
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UPON REFLECTION | ISSUE 2 NEW STAFF
My teaching career started in Asia soon after I had completed high school—not in China, but in Thailand where I taught English. Returning to Australia I completed a combined Bachelor of Arts and Laws at the University of Sydney, with a focus on International Relations and Chinese Studies, and subsequently worked for local and international law firms in Sydney, Hong Kong and Denmark. My Chinese-language skills saw me often dealing with China-related matters and I developed a strong desire to find a way to help more companies develop their capabilities in the area, including training the next generation of translators, which I did at the Sydney Institute of Interpreting and Translating. During this period I also founded a boutique branding agency called 3mandarins to consult on brand strategy and provide professional translation services to Australian companies looking to enter the Chinese market. I retain the position of Managing Director of the agency, which is currently servicing clients including the University of Sydney, NSW National Parks, Hilton Hotels and Bartercard. Here at Wenona I want to share the richness and beauty of the Chinese culture and language and hope to inspire more girls to study it, producing China-savvy students equipped with the skills to be influential members of our increasingly globalised community.
Returning to Sydney, I served as a Learning Support Teacher for a year at Coogee South Public School, an experience which ignited a passion for assisting children with additional needs in the classroom and beyond. In fact, while I went on to live and work all around Australia in different teaching and executive roles I kept coming back to Learning Support. My previous job was Head of Enrichment K-6 at Canberra Grammar School. I loved living in Canberra but last year, after 16 years there, decided I wanted to live in Sydney again and set about looking for a school with a clear vision for its students. I was struck by the positive vibe that emanated from Wenona. I have two daughters and it felt like a school to which I would want to send them: teachers’ recommendations don’t come higher than that. My role at Wenona has indeed proved to be my dream job. I’ve been most warmly welcomed by the community and staff, and the Educational Support Services team have guided and encouraged me in my new role. I work with students K to 6 who have different learning needs and I mentor teachers, helping them to differentiate the learning for all students in their classroom. My desire is for the girls to be the best they can be no matter what learning style or needs they have. I want them to become lifelong learners, flourishing here and in the wider world beyond school.