2016 - High School Education Support Teaching (Full Year)
Background Context
2016 has seen me teaching full time as an education support teacher at an urban high school. I was fortunate to gain this role though the recommendation of a parent of an autistic child that I had taught in 2015. She was highly impressed with my progress with him, and with my success with the class in general. Given this was a behaviourally difficult class I was very encouraged by my end to 2015.
Although I have worked with education support students in previous roles, as a teacher and as an education support officer in vocational education, teaching specifically in an education support context has been a very different side of education to that which I have experienced previously. Being in a high school setting, with a campus shared with a mainstream high school, has also brought another set of new challenges.
Reflective Commentary
This year has been filled with opportunities for me to grow my capabilities and contribute as I have previously mentioned. My timetable has been very fluid requiring much flexibility, and the programs I have been asked to create and coordinate have been a significant boost to my growth as an educator and as a leader. My assortment of roles including the Revamp Bike Program, CALM, mindfulness trials, one on one mentoring and team teaching has been an immense privilege as well as being a significant stretch to my capabilities. I have even taken the opportunity to organise a whole school cricket carnival. I look forward to the remainder of 2016, and 2017 teaching in this environment, as I have been able to extend my contract to the school.