Life before Girton
I attended Catholic College Bendigo from year 7 through to year 12. I completed my Bachelor of Science at Monash University, majoring in Immunology and Microbiology. I completed my Postgraduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) at RMIT University, Bundoora. I commenced my first year of teaching at Wallan Secondary College, teaching Psychology, Science and Humanities. At the start of 2015 I was employed by Girton Grammar to teach science and mathematics.
What I Love about Teaching
I love adding previously unknown facts about topics into the course to keep the students engaged and I love helping students understand how the world works.
What do you like best about the subjects you teach?
Science is an ever expanding subject. What was fact yesterday becomes outdated today.
Science is a very hands on subject and this quality allows the students to explore the different concepts thoroughly.
Chemistry explains how the body functions, tastes of food and chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Environmental science explores the science behind the big issues plaguing the world. Science explains why we see as we do, how the television and microwave work, how our bodies control our temperature and how electricity is used to run our homes.
My favourite classroom activity
My favourite classroom activity is building model ecosystems with the Year 11 Environmental Science students. This activity allows the students to get a real life understanding of how the different biogeochemical cycles work in unison to support a thriving ecosystem.
This activity also gives the students the responsibility of looking after the fish and marine snails in the ecosystems to ensure that they are prospering.
What difference can good teaching make?
Good teaching in science allows for the development of good questioning abilities, patience, good problem solving abilities and listening skills. These attributes lead to a student who is successful in life, academically, personally and in the workforce.
I like to try to intrigue the students and by doing so hope to pass on a high level of curiosity about the way things are and a keen sense of adventure.
Other Hats
I am the Assistant Head of Aherne, I am actively involved in the coaching of a year 7 Girton Netball team and outside of Girton I am involved in Baseball in Bendigo.
