What did Ed learn after two years of teaching?

Back in November 2014, Ed McGrath (Cohort 2015) shared his experience of Teach For Australia’s Initial Intensive with us, as one of two Associates featured in our Initial Intensive Explainer video:

In January 2015, Ed began teaching Humanities and Social Science at Ballajura Community College in north-eastern Perth, Western Australia.

Originally from Sydney, Ed relocated to Perth for Teach For Australia because he enjoys the challenge of meeting new people and adapting to new surroundings.

“Before Teach For Australia, I thought I worked well with a range of people,” Ed said.

“But really, that range was pretty narrow.”

“So, when I was introduced to Ballajura Community College, it was a huge culture shock. It was a challenge at first.”

One of the things Ed has enjoyed most about his experience with Teach For Australia is that it has forced him outside his comfort zone.

“Learning how to work with a very broad spectrum of people was a massive achievement for me,” he said.

“In my first year, I made a lot of mistakes. I was too harsh and often inconsistent with my students.”

“In my second year, I made a real effort to build rapport with students around the school. I worked hard to understand where my students were coming from; what their hopes and dreams were.”

Over his two years as a Teach For Australia Associate at Ballajura, Ed has gained a number of transferable leadership skills.

For him, the most important has been in his ability to see the underlying truths behind students’ responses to situations.

“I found that, over my first two years in the classroom, the need for behaviour management decreased and I really grew to enjoy the company of my students.”

Ed remembers that, when he started out as an Associate, he often felt stressed when things didn’t go to plan. He would try to over-plan to compensate for this.

“Needless to say, it was pointless!”

Now, two years into his teaching career, Ed no longer struggles when things don’t go exactly to plan.

He is incredibly proud of his ability to fluidly multitask, adapt his lesson plans and ensure that all students feel noticed.

“This is why I love being a teacher,” he said.

“You can improve yourself whilst helping others and there is always a challenge in trying to engage every student in every class.”

“At the end of this year, I asked one student in my Year 10 Humanities class which subject she’d learnt most in that year. She said ‘this one’.”

“As a teacher, I want nothing more than for my students to love learning and that was the reason for her answer,” he said.

One thing Ed has particularly enjoyed this year is sharing his personal interests with his students. Having spent two years teaching English as a Second Language in Japan, Ed has a passion for intercultural awareness and Japanese culture.

“I’ve shared my passions through class time as much as the curriculum allowed and I also discussed anime and Japanese pop culture with a group of students at lunchtime.”

In 2017, Ed will be heading out to Japan as part of the Western Australian Department of Education and Training’s Hyogo Teacher Exchange program.

In Japan, he’ll have the chance to explore English language curriculum, programs and policy in the Hyogo area of Japan.

“My students weren’t too surprised when I told them I’d be going to Japan next year,” Ed said.

“And in 2018, I will return to Western Australia with a renewed focus on Asia literacy and Japanese language education.”