Teachers inspire, support, and empower our children and young people every day. World Teachers Day on October 31 is a chance to officially thank these wonderful educators.
We had a chat with Carinity Education Gladstone teacher, Dean Peattie, about what he most enjoys about supporting students at our school.
What drew you to work in a special assistance school?
We are all, to a certain extent, influenced by our own life experiences. My journey to work in Carinity certainly was. After spending five years in Far North Queensland, working in small schools, my wife and I moved to Gladstone to be near our family.
When Carinity advertised for an IDT (Industrial Technology and Design) teacher to set up their new technology building I was very keen, because I love setting up new workshops and I enjoy working in small schools.
Added to this, I was familiar with trauma and its effects on learning from my experiences in Far North Queensland. I saw that Carinity, with all its youth worker support, as an organisation trying to make a difference.
What’s your favourite thing about teaching?
The look of pride and the boost in confidence on a student’s face when they’ve completed a project and are so proud of themselves, that they were able to create something real and professional looking. Most of my students can’t wait to take their projects home.
I also find that some students who are not particularly good at school in general finally discover that there is something that they enjoy doing and perhaps are good at. These are often the more disengaged students in schools.
What’s one memorable moment from your time in the classroom?
That’s hard to pick but when I started at Carinity last year, the new technology building was supposed to be completed, sometime in the next term. Due to unseasonal weather and various holdups, I actually didn’t get into the building until the beginning of this year.
During this time, we were able to upgrade or change some of the equipment, so the delays were in this sense beneficial. After such a long wait, the first day of class in the new buildings was therefore very memorable.
I have set up a few new Industrial Technology Centres over the years and I always feel honoured to have the privilege to do so. I hope that those teachers that come after me can appreciate the choice of equipment and programs that have been set up.
What’s a fun fact your students might not know about you?
That I am a lot older than most of the students think. When they ask me how old I usually say, “My earliest memory is of rocks cooling.”
How would you describe your teaching style?
From years of experience in my teaching area, I’ve learnt that the most important thing for me, is being fully prepared for the lesson. To me that means having each project with a demonstration model for students to examine, as well as having all the resources – for example timber, metal or plastics – prepared for student use.
Most students, if they have plenty of work to do, are fully engaged in the class.
It’s hard to critique my own personal teaching style but I would say I am enthusiastic and relaxed.