Learning as they teach
“I’d go back in a heartbeat”
The first teachers to visit Trinity’s new central Australian partner schools say they came back better educators.
Nick Larkin said the assignment required a big adjustment to his style, forcing him to re-examine the fundamentals of teaching and engaging students.
“When you have a great structure like Trinity, a school that’s set up with rules and clear consequences and things like that to support you as a teacher, you can kind of get away with some things.
“But when you go out in an environment like the classrooms in the NT you really learn about what true engagement is – how to get it, and how you can lose it very quickly.
“How you introduce a lesson, the concept, the idea, is crucial. I tried a lot of things and just failed.
“I never really failed so much as a teacher in my life as I did in those two weeks. There was a lot of trying things that were not working, and how you get them engaged.”
Mark Waters said he enjoyed getting to know the students and building relationships.
“Even if it’s just kicking a ball around, that translates into the classroom.
“Towards the end of our stay we’d drive down the street, for example, and see students walking through the town. We’d stop and wind the window down and say, ‘G’day, how are you going?’ and have a nice chat outside of school.”
He said one student was quite separate from the others during the first week but felt comfortable joining a practical project at the start of the second week.
Trinity team members said resilience was an important attribute for the assignment.
“I’d give future teachers the same advice as we were given – to keep an open mind, to be flexible, be resilient with change or whatever might pop up which might require a change in direction of what you planned,” said Mark Waters.
“I loved it. I felt privileged to go.”
“Any kind of consistency you show, or any sort of care or interest you show, they respond a hundredfold,” said Nick Larkin.
“The kids are really lovely. They’re tricky to teach because they haven’t had years of the systems and structures of schools, like sitting down, standing up, waiting, being quiet. But they’re so generous, kind, and giving. Teaching them was a joy.”
There has been a strong response from teachers keen to follow in their footsteps, and Chris Wyatt acknowledges: “I’m conscious we’re going to disappoint a lot of teachers who are keen to go!”
It’s envisaged that up to five Trinity teachers might visit the NT each term for at least a week, with the option for two to four weeks, or even up to a term.
Asked if he’d like to return, Mark Waters summed up the feeling among the first Trinity group: “I’d go back in a heartbeat.”
