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Alumni

Meet a Teacher: Who is Stephanie?

Teach For Australia Saturday, April 1st, 2017

Name: Stephanie
Age: 27
Born: Melbourne, Victoria
Studied: Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours
University: The University Of Melbourne
SchoolSouthern River College, Western Australia

“Changing careers is the best decision that I’ve ever made. I feel fulfilled and challenged every day.”

Prior to becoming a Teach For Australia Associate, Stephanie was a geologist who worked on a number of remote exploration projects and as a FIFO worker in an underground mine.

After leaving her job in mining, Stephanie decided she wanted to become a teacher.

“I was inspired by the excellent teachers that helped to shape me, including my granddad who was a science teacher.”

“And I couldn’t believe that I (and so many others) were so oblivious to this enormous injustice in our own backyard. I needed to get involved.”

Stephanie loves teaching and says her students are “determined, funny, resilient and each and every one is unique”.

It is her complete investment in their happiness and success that gets her up in the morning. And coffee, she jokes.

Stephanie most enjoys sharing her love of geology through teaching and believes that science is more than just a collection of facts, it is a broad skill set.

“In science, students are encouraged to think critically and creatively, ask questions and find answers. These are skills that are beneficial no matter what pathway they choose to follow.”

She wants her students to be confident in their abilities and their own strengths… and to put their phones away.

Testing Teachers is a snapshot of my first year of teaching.”

The best part of the experience has been seeing herself and her students through the eyes of a camera crew and being able to reflect on the experience and progress with them.

She hopes that the audience will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges, which face teachers and students in with low educational equity.

“I also want them to think about how the education system works for students like mine, and how it might be improved.”

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