Teacher

I taught secondary student’s art at Billanook College in the outer east of Melbourne for a period of 7 years from early 2005. I enjoyed teaching young people art a range of subjects from Art and Technology at Year 7 through to VCE Art at Year 12.

In 2012 I took long service leave and spent the year house sitting in a number of towns in the Central Highlands of Victoria to get to know the region. I took the plunge and made a permanent ‘tree change’ to the region at the end of this exploratory year.

In 2013 I made the transition from Secondary Art Teacher to Primary Art Specialist, which was a professionally rewarding and enriching experience. I taught at St Francis Xavier Primary School in Ballarat for 2 years in a maternity leave position. I then commuted to Craigieburn during 2015 to work at Aitken Creek Primary School.

I was surprised at how different the primary school was from the secondary one and my ability to adapt to a new educational context encouraged me to pursue new goals with confidence. One of my current professional goals is to work closely with my local community in order to build lasting and meaningful connections.

In 2016 I started supporting people with disabilities in an Independent Living Skills Program run by a not for profit organisation called Pinarc that is located in Ballarat. For 7 years I helped people with disabilities to create  2 gardens in a more social and informal setting.

In 2022 I became Garden Specialist for the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program for Winters Flat Primary School in Castlemaine and in 2023 for Delacombe Primary School in Ballarat. This new position is exciting as I can help kids weave with plants, create garden art and grow vegetables for their kitchen.

DSC_7915Showing students how to build their skills.

DSC_7916Supporting students to give it a go.

DSC_7902Encouraging interpersonal learning when students help each other.