Name

Citizenship: Canadian

Teachables: Physical Education, English, French, Humanities

Leading Out was an incredible team to work with. They helped me navigate through the tedious paperwork and somehow made the process less stressful and a lot more exciting. Even when I was settled overseas, they were always available to help with questions, concerns, confusions, or simply to offer some suggestions. It was comforting knowing that I always had someone I could reach out to for help.

What was your favourite classroom experience while in Australia?

Being a casual relief teacher brought me to new parts of the city every week. It was quite challenging to walk in to a group of students you had never met before and teach lessons you were not familiar with, but once I got accustomed to it, I was able to enjoy the journey and embrace the life of teaching on the fly. Not to mention, learning to entertain a group of students with my funny accent.

One experience that does stick out for me was my day as a Phys. Ed teacher at a Special Development School in Yarraville. I was so impressed with the support, the attention, and the detail that went in to coordinating lessons for these students. It was an extremely rewarding experience for me as a new teacher and I definitely left that day with more than I came in with.

What was your favourite travel experience?

Moving to Australia was an experience in itself. There are so many places to explore and if it weren’t for time and money, I would have done it all! I am very happy, however, that I was able to make the trip over to Tasmania. It was probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. We travelled over with no particular plan or schedule, but only a hand written list of suggested places to visit from friends and acquaintances we met along the way.   It was quite refreshing to set out on the road with no time constraints or commitments. I don’t think there are many places in the world where you can get away with this type of haphazard plan, but it seemed that no matter where we went or which direction we took, it always left us in complete awe.

Why would you recommend teaching in Australia?

Teaching abroad was a great transition for me after graduating from teacher’s college. I was looking for an opportunity to travel while also continuing to gain experience as a teacher. It was nerve-wracking walking into a new class every day, but it was also quite exciting. Every day brought a new challenge and the whole process taught me a lot about myself and the world of teaching.

What advice would you give a new teacher moving to Australia?

Pack warm clothes. I thought I was escaping the Canadian winters by going to Australia…little did I know that I would have to wear socks and sweaters to bed some nights. Besides that, go in with an open mind and see every day as a new adventure. It’s a beautiful country filled with some amazing people.

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Victoria, Australia

Here’s my Favourite Thing in Each Australian State:

1. Tasmania: Kate’s Berry Farm in Swansea — man, I was sorry when I ate the last of her jam. If you go, it would be a huge mistake to leave without trying her ice cream!

2. Queensland: I took a flight over World Heritage listed Fraser Island in a six-seater plane. The runway was “The Great Sandy Highway”. It cost a bit more but at the prospect of going up to look for whales, how could I resist? The view of the sandblows’ path was so cool.

3. South Australia: Barossa. Barossa. Barossa. Definitely going back to see the rest of the vineyard areas.

4. Northern Territory: Some (silly people) say “it’s just a rock”–but it’s not. Kata Tjuta National Park offers more than the World’s Largest Monolith (the sandstone formation formerly known as “Ayers Rock”), what early European settlers called “the Olgas”, the Kata Tjuta hikes made me so happy.

(PS. Read up on all of the knowledge the traditional owners of this land already had for which we needed computers and technology to re-discover.)

5. Victoria: Ok, Melbourne is a wicked city. So I’ll give you another place I loved instead: The Buchan Caves are Buchan good!

6. Western Australia: I climbed a 60 metre tree without any rope–but just 2 feet long pegs in the tree (not very environmentally-friendly; they’ve been there a long time). I was a little worried about this and the fact that the supposed “safety net” was chicken wire which looked like it would probably do more harm than good should I fall. But the view from this old fire-lookout, and the photos I took mid-way make me happy. The Gloucester Tree is in The Valley of the Giants (needless to say, it’s a BIG forest), between Perth and Albany.

7. New South Wales: Surprisingly, I’m not going to say the Opera House. Or Mardi Gras. Try the Jenolan Caves and tell me you don’t love them. Go ahead–tell me. I know, two cave recommendations–but what can I say? I love them!

8. ACT (Canberra): The National Gallery was terrific. I have never enjoyed art more than when I stood in front of the Turner to Monet exhibit and experienced the colours used Van Gogh used in his massive canvasses. I’m not an arty-type.

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