UTP makes Anthea’s teaching dream possible

Anthea Robinson grew up wanting to be a teacher but her life took a different direction first. Anthea became a young mother, yet it was through her children that she found her connection to education again.

A parent of six, three of whom have additional needs, Anthea saw first-hand the importance of education. “As they grew up, I did a lot of intervention programs with them and I volunteered within the school,” says Anthea.

Anthea began working at Cranbourne East Secondary College, where she has been for six years, in a learning support role. This reignited her childhood ambition to teach.

“Being in the classroom, I wanted to grow on what I was doing.”

But the traditional pathway into teaching didn’t feel realistic. “When I looked it up, I would have had to drop hours or done part-time study, which would have taken me eight years instead of four,” she says.

Teach For Australia’s Undergraduate Teaching Program (UTP) offered an alternative at the right time. “It was perfect timing,” says Anthea.

“It’s the perfect balance between being able to work full-time, still being able to study, and being able to stay in the school I was in and keep those relationships.”

Studying while working at the school has allowed Anthea to connect learning directly to practice. “It definitely helps make asking questions easier and being able to implement it straight away,” she says.

As part of the Undergraduate Teaching Program, Anthea has a mentor at her school, as well as support from school leadership. “They’ll check in as I’m walking past them in the corridor – ‘How’s study going? Do you need any more help?’,” she says.

As part of the first Undergraduate Teaching Program cohort, Anthea connects regularly with other participants across Victoria. “We’ve actually built this really great team,” says Anthea. “We connect weekly still, even during the holidays.”

That sense of community has helped Anthea manage the challenges of balancing work, study and family. “Had I gone the traditional route, I would have really struggled, whereas this program has made that balancing act a little bit easier,” she says.

“I love my job. I love being in class with students and helping them find their space within a classroom.”

Applications for the next cohort of the Undergraduate Teaching Program open on Monday 20 April. People who meet eligibility can submit an expression of interest in the program.