Teach For Australia Alumni celebrated for their leadership and innovation at the Schools Plus Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards

Teach For Australia is proud to celebrate three Alumni who have been honoured with the prestigious Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards in the Early Career Teaching Category.

• George Allen, Head of Science and High Abilities Co-Ordinator at Cobram Secondary College, Victoria.
• Louise Hobbs, Agriculture and Business Management Teacher at Goroke P-12 College, Victoria.
• Dev Ansh Tiwari, Assistant Principal of Katherine High School, Northern Territory.

The awards, run in partnership with Schools Plus and supported by Salesforce, recognise 10 teachers in the Early Career Teaching category for their remarkable leadership and innovation in their first five years in the profession.

Dynamic educator, Louise Hobbs said she was honoured to be recognised among so many fantastic teachers right across Australia and Victoria.

“I didn’t go into this job expecting to come out with an award like this, I went into it because I felt I could make a real difference to student’s lives, so to receive something like this is really humbling because there are so many fantastic teachers doing such fantastic work. I want to congratulate all the recipients of this year’s awards.”

Working in a school in Victoria’s Wimmera region, Ms Hobbs believes it is critical to innovate in her teaching practice to help bridge inequity gaps for her students. Her drive to continuously learn and innovate has led her students to success in various competitions, the creation of resources in agriculture, and the continued delivery of her podcast, “Miss Hobbs Talks All Things VCE,” for her students.

“It’s all about that ‘oh I finally get it’ moment, making students feel more comfortable doing their revision by having access to resources that support them to complete year 11 and 12.

“My hope – and I think this is the hope of every teacher – is that students leave school ready to enter the workforce in whatever capacity they choose, whether that’s as a doctor, teacher, plumber, hairdresser, or even a farmer. Whatever it is, I hope they have the opportunity to study those subjects and have the support to achieve their chosen path – whatever that path may be.”

Dev Ansh Tiwari has made significant strides in his career, ascending to Assistant Principal at Katherine High School just two years after graduating from Teach For Australia’s flagship program.

He believes the award reflects the high-level and ongoing teacher training he received at Teach for Australia and the excellent schools he has worked at, which have supported his ongoing mentorship, peer learning and provided the freedom to lead school improvement initiatives.

“I have had the privilege of leading Katherine High’s implementation of its Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Literacy, from its inception to implementation. In this process, I was given the freedom to visit schools across Australia, road test and refine my thinking with the Grattan Institute and the Australian Education Research Organisation, and work with our literacy lead to make our intervention specific to the needs of young people at Katherine High. While we are only in Stage one of implementation, we have already seen significant improvements in reading fluency, comprehension and spelling.

“The award has reaffirmed my view that teachers play an influential role in shaping the future economic and social prosperity of the nation. It’s a privilege to work with our young people, who continually inspire me to be a better teacher.”

Over in Cobram, Victoria, George Allen has been instrumental in founding the High Abilities Program at Cobram Secondary College. The program takes high-achieving Year 7 and 8 students on a camp to Melbourne, where they explore a range of career possibilities through visits to universities and various businesses.

Now in its third year, George remains committed to growing and improving the camp each year to expand his students’ horizons and provide them with unique learning experiences.

“Receiving this award is an incredible honour and is a testament to the support and dedication of our entire school community at Cobram Secondary College. I am deeply passionate about creating opportunities for my students to thrive, no matter what career path they choose, so long as they know they have options.

“I want to dispel the idea that universities are just for ‘rich kids in the city,’ which inspired me to create the High Abilities Program. This recognition motivates me to continue striving for excellence in teaching and to further support our students to succeed in whatever way that looks like for them.”

The Early Career Teaching Award not only recognises these educators’ exceptional contributions but also provides them with a $10,000 scholarship, including a study tour to high-performing schools in Australia, an exclusive leadership, learning, and mentoring program, and $5,000 for professional development of their choice.