This story is written with the one thing that I believe is the key that unlocks the door to great teaching and inspired learning – that key is passion.
I would like to write about three teachers who not only inspired my learning but also influenced my life forever!
It was my first day at School – I was five years old and starting kindergarten. As I walked through the School gate – my heart pounding and my child mind full of anxious fears, it was Miss Brown, my Kindergarten teacher, who that day walked into my life and my heart. She smiled brightly, knelt down so that she could see my face, quietly told me that I was going to love school and that we were going to have so much fun together. She then gently took my hand and led me to the classroom where she introduced me to others in my class.
What made Miss Brown an Inspiring Teacher? Her obvious love for what she did best – teaching, and her absolute individual care of each of her students.
Miss Brown had the ability to make every child feel that he or she was “special”. She inspired confidence in the mind of a small child, she somehow turned our weaknesses into strengths and so our learning began and continued as she nurtured, guided, corrected, encouraged and entrusted us with the gifts she had to give – inspirational gifts that captured the mind of a child and that influenced the rest of our learning journey.
It was three years later when Mrs Harvey – Teacher of Grade 3 entered my life. She was very different in many ways to Miss Brown.
Mrs Harvey was older, quite strict – but there was something about her that quietened a room of noisy students the moment she entered. We were not afraid of her, but we did have a sort of reverent respect for her as she asked each of us a question relating to yesterday’s lesson. If we were unsure of the answer – Mrs Harvey always managed to make us feel that we had given her the perfect opportunity she needed to revise for the whole class, something that everyone may not have grasped yesterday.
Mrs Harvey was the one who encouraged us to be the best that we could be – she taught us the importance of taking pride in our work and rewarded each of us with a bright coloured dot – we were all treated the same.
I remember our first classroom open day, organised by Mrs Harvey where parents came to inspect our books – all parents looked at every child’s books so that if there was a child whose parent couldn’t come, they did not feel left out – that was the heart of Mrs Harvey.
I remember I was pigeon-toed and walked with my right foot turned in. It was Mrs Harvey who cared enough to take me aside at every break time, draw a chalk line on the cement in the playground and encouraged me to walk a straight line placing one foot carefully each side of the chalk line as I walked. Little by little under the encouraging eyes of Mrs Harvey I began to walk and run as any other child. As a child I didn’t fully understand – but as an adult I know that it is Teachers like Mrs Harvey who give of themselves to make a difference – Teachers like Mrs Harvey who inspire us so much that we want to keep learning forever.
It was then four years later when Mr Gormley – English Master at High School, entered my life. He inspired me so much that English became my favourite subject. Mr Gormley, even though older and seemingly staid, somehow managed to make what might have been the most ordinary topic come alive through the gift he gave each one of us – the freedom to be creative. With his guidance we directed our own learning, we participated in team debates around topics we ourselves selected. We presented drama plays to the rest of the School, we wrote creative stories which were read out to the class by Mr Gormley himself, in such a way that everyone’s writing was the best.
Mr Gormley was able to intrigue our inquisitive minds so that we wanted to learn more. It was Mr Gormley, who with passion for the subject he taught, inspired us to be the best we could be in both the written and oral use of the English language.
It is inspirational teachers like Mr Gormley who have the ability to help us climb to heights in learning that we never dreamt of reaching. I will be forever grateful.
Please share your inspirational stories of Teachers who have made a difference in your life.
I have been fortunate enough, to have had many effective teachers during my education. One of the best examples I had, was my Year 10 Commerce teacher, Mr DeCroix. Mr DeCroix was passionate about passing knowledge to youth. He was both informative and humorous at times which brightened the classroom with an enjoyable atmosphere. His classes were a highlight of the day both for content and content delivery. I went on, to learn economics and Asian Social studies due to the interest he generated in the classroom, with his teaching and communication abilities. He pushed me in all areas of my learning and made me realize it is effective to create a pleasurable environment to learn in.
When I think of a teacher that influenced me my mind goes straight to one. Miss Mooney. Although she knew how to ensure you got the work done she also knew how to make sure that you were enjoying it, engaged, and actually consuming and understanding the content. Her teaching methods encouraged us to reach deep into our minds and express our individuality and be proud of it. All the meantime we were learning so much without even knowing we had learned so much.
I have great memories of my high school English teacher, Mr Rix. He was clearly very passionate about teaching young people and always made every endeavour to engage the students in the richness of the English language. He encouraged students to read and write about books that they felt a personal connection to. On one occasion, I remember he got students to bring in the lyrics to songs they loved and the class read the lyrics as poems. It was a wonderful way to bring poetry out of the theoretical and bring them to life for a group of young people who could sometimes be hard to reach.
I have fond memories of quite a few teachers from across my schooling years. One whom stands out is my High School Art Teacher, Mr. Young. Mr. Young was everything I would have imagined in an Art Teacher. He had no limits on allowing myself to explore my creative side and bring to life concepts and ideas (albeit sometimes farfetched and crazy) that otherwise would have stayed in my imagination. He had a calm and nurturing demeanor and had the ability to walk into a room and have everyone’s undivided attention and excited anticipation for what the lesson was going to bring.
I often reflect back over conversations he and I had about things such as goals, the future, worldly problems and life itself. He was a true role-model and really helped me see things from different perspectives.
I always admire teachers for their patience and dedication. It’s not always easy teaching people new things. The best memory I have of a teach is that of my sons Kindergarten teacher. My family and I had just moved to a small town and my son started at the local school. My sons teacher was amazing, really held space for him as he started half way through the year. My son was sick one week and was absent from school and she personally hand delivered some books and homework for him to work on if he was feeling well enough. At Christmas time, she gave all the students books with personalised notes. Its the little things that make a big difference. My son felt notice and heard by her.
I have such wonderful memories of the teachers that not only taught me but enriched my life. One in particular stands out for me, my ballet teacher Mary. When I began classes I was a late starter and anxious that I would not meet the high standards of the other dancers. Mary had a way with unconditional positive regard and her support and encouragement soon dispelled my fears and gave me the proverbial wings to fly. Mary would say its not where you start its where you finish! In fact I was the only dancer in the class that actually finished my diploma and pursued a career in dancing. Life lessons indeed!
I had a teacher who presented information in an extremely engaging way, which included asking questions and drawing the requisite content out of the students’ minds. We laughed all day and learnt so much without even realising we’d covered the course material.
I clearly remember Mr. Eggins (year 2 teacher).
His intriguing magic tricks would captivate my attention for him to then speak so calmly.
His patience in his explanation and response stood out. Before a response always a breath, pause, then respond. The response was always filled with 2 or more ways of looking at something.
Mr. Eggins was an amazing teacher & left a great lasting impression.
I have a vivid memory of my Preschool Teacher- Mrs Cook, she had this way of making you feel safe when in reality all you wanted to do was be at home with your loved ones. She was vibrant and joyous in her days but also the quiet calm when needed. When i stop and think, it was her who inspired me to be the Early Childhood Teacher I am today.
My guitar teacher Chris keeps it real
My 2 bosses used to be my teachers, they helped me study to change my career
I now work for them and help students reach their potential
I have been blessed to have had many inspirational teachers, from teachers who taught me maths using songs, to teachers that challenged my values and passions and drove me to dig deeper, the world would not be as beautifully diverse without these great teachers!
mr mitchell, english, instilled my love ofd the arts for ever
I always remember my Literature Teacher from Year 8 and Year 9. So much in fact, that now I, as a grown-up, wish I had appreciated her, her teaching style, and her vast knowledge more back then. However, I can still say that her influence was strong and remarkable enough to still leave that kind of mark in a rowdy teenager that may have only appreciated 60% of what she was offering. Aspects like the tone of her voice or the passion with which she spoke about Latin American Literature made many of her students to look forward to her classes and actually read the books proposed instead of lazily relying on a published summary or asking the good students in the class to help them out with a brief outline of the text. Not that she didn’t know that some students would do this, which is why her tests were a reward for her avid readers, as they knew how to answer complex questions about the texts, and a sort of “reckoning” with those who thought that a lazy outline would save them. That is probably why I used to love them, as I had read the books and knew how to analyse complex aspects of the stories and characters. I still remember that I was absolutely loving the book we had to read for the Term, but when the time came for the essay to be handed out, I still hadn’t finished. I came forward to her and explained that I couldn’t bring myself to ruin the ending of the book just because I hadn’t finished on time, and I would have to ask someone to tell me, so I had the information to finish my essay. Even though I know it was my responsibility to finish everything on time, I am still glad that she understood my “literary predicament” and granted me an extension that allowed me to hand it in two days later.
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Here it is:
I always remember my Literature Teacher from Year 8 and Year 9. So much in fact, that now I, as a grown-up, wish I had appreciated her, her teaching style, and her vast knowledge more back then. However, I can say that her influence was strong and remarkable enough to still leave that kind of mark in a rowdy teenager that may have only appreciated 60% of what she was offering. Aspects like the tone of her voice or the passion with which she spoke about Latin American Literature made many of her students look forward to her classes and actually read the books proposed instead of lazily relying on a published summary or asking the good students in the class to help them out with a brief outline of the text. Not that she didn’t know that some students would do this, of course, which is why her tests were a reward for her avid readers, as they knew how to answer complex questions about the texts, and a sort of “reckoning” for those who thought that a lazy outline would save them. That is probably why I used to love her texts, as I had read the books and knew how to analyse complex aspects of the stories and characters. I still remember one time when I was absolutely loving the book we had to read for the Term. However, when the time came for the essay to be handed out, I still hadn’t finished reading it. I came forward to her and explained that I couldn’t bring myself to ruin the ending of the book just because I hadn’t finished on time and I would have to ask someone to tell me, so I had the information to finish my essay. Yeap, I know, it sounded like a teen student confessing all the illegal methods we could turn to when the time of a test came. Something that I would now, as a teacher, have a serious conversation about with my students now. She listened to my reasons and, even though it was clearly my responsibility to finish everything on time, I am still glad that she understood my “literary predicament” and granted me an extension that allowed me to hand my essay in two days later.
I was always an observer of people and quite creative but also loved hearing stories about peoples adventures. Throughout my childhood and schooling life there have been moments, phrases, life skills, opportunities and challenges that teachers have put forth that has paved the path in my adult life and inspired learning conversations toward my own children.
In year five a teacher named Mr Whatt, which seemed to inspire my dad to invent every dad joke in history regarding his name. He was an interesting teacher with the ability to surprise you. He would do group morning sport from the 1st story over the court yard in front of 100 kids. He would inspire a science experiment that was messy. Although his specialty was Math’s and up till year five was not my favorite at the start of the year, by the end it was a favorite. It was his ability to create options, creativity of subjects and the feeling of success and accomplishment.
In high school life was filled with emotions and hormones but on my 1st and 2nd year I met some inspirational teachers. One was a geography teacher and the other a science. Both not subjects that would normal take my interest but that’s the beauty of some teachers. They go above and beyond to provide you with resources or different ways of looking at things, captivate your interest and inspire you to do your best.
Later on as an adult I called a company called RGT as I was keeping an eye out for jobs and wanted to know the process for becoming a trainer and assessor. I then fell into a part time on the job training position as a training and assessing. It was there I met a lovely lady named Kelly who mentored me with her knowledge. She had the ability to give me words of encouragement and understand that I already had the skills and the knowledge and the exact content of each course will come later. It was there that her quirky way of looking at things made me realise that you can change careers, learn from your experience and make your way in something new or as she would say “fake it, till you make it”.
One teacher that I will never forget is Mrs Power, My year 7 English teacher. For me English was not a subject I put much effort into. Mrs Power noticed this, and took the time to find out what, in my life I was passionate about, which was Fishing, Surfing and writing songs. Mrs Power then used these things I was passionate about, and incorporated them in my learning to increase my interest in class and achieve better outcomes. This is something I did not really think about much at the time, but looking back it is defiantly something I appreciate a lot, and is a standout in my schooling years.
One teacher who stands out for me was my music teacher in Year 11 and 12, Gavin Franklin. He was an absolute wealth of knowledge in the music world who was passionate about teaching and watching his students succeed. At the end of each Wednesday I would meet with him and a couple of other students with our own instruments and have a jam for an hour or so. These moments really stick with me as not only we were continually learning, but also applying our new skills in a way where we could have fun with it.
I was a shy child and very much in introvert, school wasn’t always a friendly place to be. I am a creative mind and found when I was with teachers that shared there passion, they could make me feel like I could do anything.
I had an amazing teacher in Year 6, he would bring his guitar and really inspire us through music. High School a passionate teacher that loved what she taught, made me love maths, (of all subjects) which them made me try harder and achieve great results. Learning allowed me to escape the bullies and be able to live past the trauma that can cause. Thank goodness for great passionate teachers. Now I want to share my passion for my craft, to help the youth of today have fulfilment in there careers.
I had wonderful teachers throughout both Primary and Secondary school. The teachers that stick out in my mind though have been since leaving school. Most recently I attended an Academy over a two week period where I had three instructors. These three instructors exceeded my expectations with their passion for that particular industry. This passion combined with their knowledge was the best learning experience of my life. They were strict with both the theory and practical components of the course however also offered a softer approach at what seemed to be exactly the right time. I will remember those two weeks for many years to come and thank them for their excellent delivery of a mentally and physically demanding course.
When I think of the teachers that have made a difference in my life, one in particular stands out. It was my grade 4 teacher Mr Baker. Mr Baker made sure learning was always fun, he encouraged and was always kind. I really struggled with concentration and confidence when I was in school and Mr baker was incredibly patient with me and moulded me into who I am today. While every teacher I had played a very important role in my growing mind not all of them demonstrated the passion and empathy that Mr Baker did and I will always remember him for the incredible characteristics he displayed on a daily basis.
While I have had several outstanding teachers in my learning life, Miss Askew is by far my favourite. Coming from a small country town there was little exposure to the big wide world. Miss Askew brought an energy to our school that was strongly needed by myself and many other students that hoped for a life in the city and beyond. She was positive, intelligent, worldly, funny and most importantly encouraging. She helped me realise what I was capable of and where I could end up in life if I made the right choices. I am forever indebted to her for her guidance and support.
I was a shy child/teenager who loved art so I appreciated all of my art teachers in high school. They encouraged us to be creative and embraced our weird. The art room was a sanctuary for me to feel comfortable in at all times, it was a retreat during lunch time and/or recess. I also had a wonderful English teacher whom I remember fondly. She told me she was a trained Ballerina in her youth and had moved to my home town from Melbourne. She was open minded and caring of all students at all times.
I have had many great teachers throughout my schooling years but the one who has always stuck in my mind is my 2nd grade teacher Mr O’Shea. He was kind and made learning fun. I remember he had a guitar in the classroom which he used to make up songs about his students and about the activities of the day. I remember feeling excited for the day and so keen to learn.
What a wonderful blog in highlighting the pivotal role that our teachers play. Undoubtedly, the writer would have had many more teachers throughout her schooling life, but these three in particular had left a lasting impression in the writer’s life; illustrating just how profound their words and actions are, no matter how big or small.
I could write a positive story about just every one of my teachers growing up, but I would like to take the time in honouring my history teacher, Mrs Abbott.
Mrs Abbott was my teacher in year 7, 8, then subsequently in year 11 and 12. She was my history teacher that went above and beyond in always making history ‘palatable’ to us. Mrs Abbott always taught us beyond just the curriculum, making us realise WHY we are learning what was presented before us. In year 11 and 12, she also went out of her way in personally giving a lift to school so that I could attend the early morning Extension History classes. I will always remember the day when I had bumped into her at the shops shortly after I had graduated. She was beaming from ear to ear when she told me that I had topped the grade in my HSC modern history exam. Thank you Mrs Abbott for your unwavering devotion to not just myself, but to all of us.
Yes! What a delightful prompt to re-appreciate those pivotal Teachers that nurtured curious minds and inspired a love of learning.
I respected and enjoyed working with almost every one of the Teachers I’ve learnt with and for.
Mr Tansey was a Teacher that spoke to us as young adults, and demanded those that weren’t behaving respectfully to do so: his sense of justice impressed me as an avid Learner at High School.
Professor Flynn inspired me greatly as an adult student.
My best and favourite Teacher at school was my Mum. Always fair, always kind, always passionate! Thanks Mum, you’re the best Teacher!
For me it was Mrs West, my 3rd grade teacher and Mr Ellis my 6th grade teacher. Both were younger teachers, full of enthusiasm and willingness to inspire individuals and the class as a whole.
Mrs West was friendly, patient and always kind, not something I’d experienced previously. She encouraged me to read extra books and learn new skills when I’d finished the work ahead of time – again a new experience as I’d been bored in class in previous years. I was so grateful that a teacher took an interest in me and challenged me to achieve to my level.
Mr Ellis was so full of energy and kindness. We had a table on the wall with every child’s name on it and we progressed up and down based on our test scores. We used to tease one of the weaker students in the class by calling him “Dumb Nicholas” (Omg how awful). Mr Ellis pulled us up on this behaviour and encouraged all of us to support him. By the end of the year Nicholas went from the bottom to almost the top of the table, all because a teacher cared enough to encourage and inspire him. Mr Ellis also used to show us photos from his trips – I’ll be forever fascinated by the Transiberian Railway and it’s definitely on my bucketlist thanks to an inspirational teacher
Long time since I was at school but I was taught by the Sisters of Mercy and they did inspire learning sometimes by encouragement sometimes by fear, but they were respected and at the end of my school I had the skills needed to move on.
For me , it is my Grade 5 & 6 teacher ( lucky enough to have her two years in a row ) Ms. Mulholland.
She was an older Scottish lady , who was described by the junior school as a witch because of her ‘crazy’ hair & long leather trench coat. This statement could not be further from the case. Ms. Mulholland was the best and most inspiring teacher , for both myself and my little sister who followed behind and had her almost 10 years later. Always pushing students to achieve their best , and would push them further in their areas of interest. for me , had me halfway through the year 8 math curriculum before i went into high school which had made the transition more seamless.
My year 3 teacher was the best teacher I had by far. He used to get his guitar out every morning and sing us songs from our song folder. He taught us all of our times tables by song which I have never forgotten as well as taking us on bush walks and having ice cream pigouts.
One teacher in particular truly shaped the way in which I approached learning. My year 5 teacher recognised my passion for literature and regularly had me read out class texts and excerpts from newspapers whilst we were learning how to scrutinise non-fiction (typically news outlets). In year 6 I requested to be in this teacher’s class again.
Throughout the year, it became apparent to my teacher that the texts that we were reading during class were not fulfilling for me as I was reading at a level that superseded that of the rest of the student body. My teacher nominated me as a ‘peer reader’, which entailed supporting younger students with their reading which I engaged in for several months.
After some time, my teacher approached me to provide him with feedback about how I thought the peer reading was coming along, to which I nonchalantly brushed off, stating that it wasn’t a big deal. He responded by saying that “intelligence is not a gift, it is a responsibility,” and that has stuck with me for the last 20 years.
One of my English teachers in high school used popular songs for our lessons. I did not know that learning could be so interesting. Another teacher often took us on excursions for our geography lessons. Both these types of learning experiences cemented information into my memory that were not easily forgotten.
A number of teachers have influenced my life in various ways but a couple stand out to briefly share.
My year six teacher was always gently encouraging but I was happy flying under the radar, just getting on with what I needed to do and getting out of there. I found the work easy enough, however I didn’t consider myself one of the ‘smart’ kids.
One day he called me to the principle’s office for a meeting. I was worried that I was in trouble. The meeting was about my many absences and my teacher went on to say that despite me missing a lot of class time, I was in the running to become DUX of the school, if I could just get my attendance on track. Due to a very unstable home life, this wasn’t to be but his belief in me meant more than he knew.
Another who influenced me in a different way was a high school English teacher. I was struggling with constant debilitating migraines and had started medication with side effects that had a huge impact on my day to day life. This teacher didn’t believe in migraines being more than a bad head ache. She wouldn’t make any allowances or adjustments to the set work.
We had to present a short speech, something I would normally try to avoid at all costs but not this time. This time I had frustration and even anger as motivation. I confidently presented my speech on migraines with references for all information and a fact sheet handout. I don’t feel it changed her beliefs, although she was a little nicer afterwards.
Later in life I’ve had some amazing TAFE teachers who have helped me in so many ways.
As a creative person the teachers that stand out the most are my art teachers in high school who were a bit quirky and always happy to be themselves. They were always encouraging and and supportive of my ideas even when I probably should have been reigned in.
i had heaps of great teachers but the ones that inspired me the most where my year 2 teacher Mrs. Lawrence, she would always take the time to help me and/or anyone that needed a little bit of extra help and it was the way she helped and my high school art teacher Mrs. cuit it was like she was one of us her classroom and her teaching style were so welcoming she just had away of helping you to relax and express her your self, she really was a great teacher.
Throughout my years of schooling there was one teacher whose charisma, teaching style and ability to build rapport authentically and effortlessly made a significant impact on not just how I was as a learner but as a person overall. Mrs Eastop was an eclectic, witty, yet unyielding within her classroom boundaries. It was this fine balance of inspiring laughter and play within the classroom, then so casually peering over her reading glasses to redirect us back to our work. Her lesson plans always tapped into our childlike need for play, whether that be in a team or as an individual, nor was importance placed on winning but participation. She encouraged us to be unashamedly ourselves, and continued to observe our journeys post graduation. Mrs E was generally invested in seeing us reach our full potential, whether that was academic or not, and for that I will always be thankful – because we are more than just a percentage.
There are so many great teachers that have influenced my life! But one teacher in particular, Mr. Heinitz, left a long-lasting imprint on my confidence and identity when I was taking his Advanced Placement English course in Year 10.
Coming into high school, I was a nerdy and unique kid in the marching band that didn’t have much confidence socialising outside of the band crowd. I was also surprisingly smart, but was bullied at a younger age for this and tried to disguise my brainy abilities. When I first entered Mr. Heninitz’s classroom, he seemed like a chill, hippie-type instructor with a long ponytail that was going to cruise us through the AP course. Boy was I wrong! In actuality, he was extremely strict and followed course material that made you think outside the box. He was also big on making us read our English books and plays out loud in front of all our classmates to encourage involvement amongst our peers.
Initially, I was very intimidated by his teaching methods and being forced to speak up in class in front of my classmates. But because everyone was in the same boat, it somehow made it easier for me to embrace my intellect, but I still tried to hide behind a façade of ‘dumb girl’ behaviour. During the course, Mr. Heinitz realised that I was not a ‘dumb girl’ despite my outward deflection and he pulled me aside one day to confront me after class. He said, “Miss Kramer, why is it that you ace my quizzes and exams, yet you pretend to answer questions in class incorrectly or fumble over public readings? You are a smart woman, and you should embrace who you are regardless of your classmates’ ineptitudes. I am placing you in G.A.T.E. (Gifted and Talented Education), so you will not be able to hide behind your social superficiality any longer. Stop pretending, and try harder. You have much to discover without the hinderance of peer pressure.” My jaw literally dropped open, and for the first time in my young adult life, my defenses started to come down as his words sunk deeper into my thoughts.
Once in G.A.T.E., I met similar students (even popular students!) and I learned that it was my own self-doubt and worry that was holding me back. I graduated with top honours and a perfect grade point average, which set me up to choose from any college that I applied for. And if it had not been for Mr. Heinitz’s blunt words of encouragement, I would not be the career-driven, confident woman I am today. Thank you, Mr. Heinitz, for believing in me and giving me courage!
A teacher that influenced my life was my year 1 teacher Mrs Wilson. She was always immaculately dressed and wore red lipstick. She had an amazing presence in the room and young children always related to her and thought she was wonderful. She had a kind voice but was strict which earnt her respect from her students. I always responded well to her teaching and she always made me want to put 100% into everything I did in her class and bought out the best in me. To this day I still see her around and still call her Mrs Wilson ( even though she tells me that I’m now old enough to call her Helen!). I later worked with her sister at the start of my nursing career. She too was kind and patient and had a wicked sense of humour and a great work ethic of which I as a beginning practitioner respected and learnt so much from. Later on down the track when I was facilitating nursing student in the hospital setting I would encourage my students to work with her and they always had an amazing learning experience with her.
Teachers who influenced my life…
As i wasn’t overly studious throughout my early years of education, I clearly acknowledge that i never really gave my teachers the respect or attention that they deserved. I see through hindsight that my attitude really impacted on the relationships i had with my teachers, and in turn negatively impacted on my learning. Having said this though there were a couple of exceptions, teachers that i just clicked with and enjoyed their classes. The first teacher that comes to mind in relation to a positive influence was Mr Matthews my year nine (9) math teacher. Now math was never my strong suit, in actual fact it was the subject that i struggled most with, always in lower classes and finding it hard to comprehend concepts or formulas required to complete assigned tasks or assessments (primarily due to my lack of attention). Not that year though, that year i was engaged, and for the first time ever I felt i was able to comprehend what i was being taught. Within that year under Mr Matthews calm and attentive guidance i developed confidence in my ability to understand and apply formulas and concepts, and this then transpired into improved grades and positive results. I don’t really know what made Mr Matthews different from other teachers, but from this positive experience i then recognised that when i was able to form positive and respectful relationships with my teachers, I was also then able to achieve the required outcomes. Secondly, for me was my first year university lecturer – Mrs Jones. As a mature aged student that hadn’t undertaken any study for many years and never really achieved outstanding grades whilst at school, i was extremely intimidated by the thought of not being able to complete work required to met expectations. Thankfully i was given opportunity to express these concerns to Mrs Jones and her response was something that not only helped me to successfully complete that unit of study, but it also guided me through many other periods of low confidence that followed. Mrs Jones very kindly said to me “we will never test you on things that we haven’t taught you, so if you complete the work assigned, engage with resources provided and ask for assistance when required you will be fine”. These words of encouragement and guidance become a mantra for me for all future studies undertaken and I still remind myself of them today.
I was in my year-4, just changed to new school when I met my teacher- Deepika. She welcomed me in such a way that I didn’t feel I was new. She introduced me to whole class and always helped to speak up, encouraged to participate in any group activities, always motivated me to join the competitions, some of which I won and some I lost. Even when I loose, she always supported me to practice harder and not to loose hoe. She is still my favourite.
The first teacher that ignited a drive in me was my music teacher. She was strict and rigid in her teaching, expecting nothing but the best from every lesson and practice session. However, her words of encouragement, followed with a hard boiled sweet at the end of a lesson (should you have achieved what was required), made it all worth while. She taught me in order to reach the high levels, it required hard work and sacrifice. I will always remember going up on the grand stage to play a solo in the musical centre. A tiny little girl with long plaits, sitting in front of a huge grand piano, in a seemingly massive cave of a hall. However, the feeling of euphoria when I had completed the solo, with no mistakes, was incredible. The happiness was felt in the big hug and smile afterwards from my teacher. The confidence that gave me – that I can achieve anything through hard work has stayed with me all my life.
My greatest influence though in my life was our mentor at work. A very wise, knowledgeable, humble man named Neil Purdon. In all honestly, it would be his years of sharing all that he knows, with the same humble, open clear expression, that has driven me to the enjoyment of sharing all that I know. He became a father figure to both myself and my husband. Encouraging us to set up our own company. Giving us the confidence, with his approval, that we do indeed have the knowledge to share. He was always there to bounce ideas and listen to thoughts, correct our mistakes and offer guidance, until the day he passed away. He continued to share his knowledge with all that would ask for it and go out to farms, until his legs could not walk the many miles. We will be forever grateful to him for sharing everything that he knew, we still, to this day, use many of his tools and theories. And they never fail, 30 years on. Nothing can replace that knowledge.
unfortunately I didn’t have great mentors in school however I was fortunate enough to have found such a great workplace with my boss, she has opened up many opportunities for me within my career, with her always keeping us updated with new courses being implied in the industry and many training session with well educated people. The reason I have started my TAE is all because of her not only has she encouraged me to this this course but all her hard work has inspired me to share my passion and knowledge to help others have the amazing experience that she gave me.
I have had many great teachers during my schooling, all good for a variety of different reasons. In particular, I found my business studies teacher to be particularly inspiring. I initially found school very challenging, however with the study techniques that Mrs J taught me, I was able to make the most of my study time and improve the quality of the study, hence, lowering the need for such a large quantity of study. At the end of my schooling, business studies was my top subject and I managed to achieve a fantastic result. I always enjoyed attending Mrs J’s classes as she was able to engage the whole class in both a commanding/instructive way that is also fun and inviting. From Mrs J and my other teachers through high school, I now have a passion in education and a desire to pass on learning and experience in a subject that I am passionate about. I hope that through my further learning and attainment of my cert IV, I will be able to be as inspirational as Mrs J.
As a young child, I had felt misunderstood often and felt like I was always running into trouble, I would be bullied and then as soon as I retaliated, I would be punished. I was smart, I would do really well academically, but for some reason I was always getting told off even when I thought I was being perfectly well-behaved. Grade 3 was the worst, I knew my teacher really didn’t like me – and I’m sure of it still to this day. But grade 4, everything changed. Mrs Vassallo started at our school and changed my whole perception of others and even myself. She made me feel as though I was an equal, I never felt targeted. As a group, she taught us kindness and how to treat each other respect. Whenever there was an issue, I felt like she would listen to everyone instead of just making her mind up based on one version of events. She taught me the importance of perspective that I carry with me ongoing as I now remember what impact her empathy had on me.
I decided to become a yoga teacher in my 20s but was unable to achieve that goal (financially) until the age of 40. Thus began my career transition from drudgery to life-long passion project. Funnily enough, it wasn’t my yoga teacher trainers that inspired my pursuit of yoga, it was yoga teachers. People who instructed classes I attended as a yoga pracitioner.
In contrast to the representation of yoga that’s popular on Instagram – young beutiful people – the yoga teachers who inspired me MOST are all over 50 years of age. One female yoga teacher who I dream of emulating, turned 82 last year (in 2021). These are people who have chosen yoga as a destination, or perhaps yoga chose them, and share the experiences they’ve encountered along the journey.
It is these three teachers (two women and one man and two American’s and one Aussie) whom unbeknownst to them, helped me to believe enough in my dream to pursue it!
My childhood was one of travel, due to my father occupation, I rarely have the advantage of more than a few years in a single spot, and as such was subject to a variety of schools and curriculums across several countries. This offered both sides of the coin, while unable to establish and develop the long term relationships with teachers and my peers, I was subject to a huge variety of personalities and styles.
There are several teachers that remain poignantly in my mind for their lessons and anecdotes, namely my Kindergarten teacher, Miss Tax, for her patience and empathy towards her pupils, the group exercises where no-one felt excluded, as an only child the lack of social relationships in my youth make it difficult to form friendships in my early schooling.
In Junior High, Mr Smith introduced me to modern commerce and legalism, his express style of discretion and irreverence, yet fastidious attention to detail endeavoured me to the law and stoicism, both of which have given me enormous benefit in my everyday life.
The most important teacher in my life has probably been my father, who long before he begot me, was an high school teacher for most of his early career, and after leaving that occupation, which he clearly loved. continued to channel that love of teaching into his son. He inculcated me with a deep appreciation of english, history and the classics, with patience and a methodical dedication to the reason why things happen, that stays with me to this day.
I grew up in a very small country town. I always struggled to stay engaged with school. I had a teacher in Senior High School who began teaching Computer Studies. We both found I had an aptitude for it, and he fed my passion for that particular subject. He taught me to adapt other subjects to principals of Computing that I still use to this day. He supported me personally and professionally and I have never forgotten him. Subsequently, I have always valued those educators who have a level of care for their students beyond the bare minimum.
My primary school was a very small school, only 60 kids from grades prep to 6 at the time. We had composite classrooms so grades 4,5, and 6 were together. The principal, Mr Henshaw, was also the grade teacher for the “senior” class and he was very passionate about maths. As a result, all the students (nearly all) in the class became passionate about maths. He made learning it fun, there was friendly competition and he really encouraged each student to reach for the stars, and beyond.
During my secondary schooling years, many of the students in my cohort had issues surrounding mental health and wellbeing. I will carry the lessons surrounding the importance of mental health and wellbeing taught by my My English teacher Miss Duffy around for life. At that time there wasn’t huge discussion around mental health like there is today. She taught us the importance of looking out for our mates, self check in’s and its ok and normal to not always feel the best. She was a huge advocate for mental health.
I was never a huge fan of school, so i was very dismissive of any mentors or teachers that did try and help me. So i think the first teacher or for me coach that made a huge impact on me came along when i was 13 years old. I was always a huge basketball fan and played at every chance. I was in a representative side and one day we were fortunate enough to meet Ken. We was a former national level basketball player that was used in the National Basketball League as an import from USA. He had a very different approach to coaching. I found it refreshing to have a coach that had performed at the highest level and then was able to break down every move to its simplest form, then put it altogether to complete a move. We regularly attended training sessions with Ken and we saw dramatic improvements in our skills and also our attitudes. He really instilled hard work but also showing me there was a different way to approach anything. Breaking it down to tiny steps that could eventually come together to perform a big move. i took that approach and still use it to this day
I was lucky throughout my schooling life, to have a lot of positive and inspirational teachers. One that I’ll always remember was my Year 10, 11 & 12 Furnishings Teacher in High School, Mr Pattern. Mr Pattern shared the same passion as his students did, for what he was teaching. It was always enjoyable to attend Furnishing class, and watch our few pieces of timber, grow over the year into a writing desk, a chair or a coffee table of some kind. Mr Pattern would hold voluntary after school classes, for students to attend, simply as something to do, for people who were as passionate as him, to come and work on their pieces. He always wanted the best out of his students, and pushed us to always strive for the best. If something wasn’t right, he would make us do it again until it was perfect. Its traits like this which i feel I’ve encompassed into my life today. Mr Pattern was so good at what he did, that each year students would enter their pieces of furniture into the Victorian Furniture Industry awards. I was lucky enough to enter my writing desk into the competition, which involved a full awards night and sit down dinner. I felt proud to be there representing my school & Mr Pattern, he took a lot of joy out of seeing his students succeed in this way.
Thank you for the question. I’ve quite often thought back on my time at school and always wanted to thank the one teacher who never gave up and is responsible for giving me the start to work in an industry I love and been working in for 32 years now.
From taking her time to encourage things I was really good at and bringing the best out in me, to finding my first job that led to an apprenticeship, even taking her time to drive me to the interview, practicing interview questions all the way.
Her unwavering encouragement and belief in me was something I was and always will be grateful for, putting me on a path to what has been and continues to be an amazing career. Unfortunately I lost contact with her and never got the opportunity to thank her in person and hopefully she understands what a great teacher she was and what a big impact on my life she had. I’d like to think I get the opportunity to pay back the wonderful work she did some day.