Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
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We are working with students who come to school with high levels of complexity. So that adds another layer of skill and knowledge and understanding that our teachers are required to have.
At The Smith Family, we partner with nearly 800 schools across the country to provide educational support for thousands of young Australians experiencing disadvantage. These partnerships are critical to our work, bringing together schools, families and the wider community to ensure students have a supportive network around them.
In our latest conversation, CEO Doug Taylor meets the principals of two of our partner primary schools – Alison Forthuber, Principal of Bellambi Public School; and Rachel Armer, Assistant Principal of Warilla North Public School. Both were recent recipients of a National Excellence in Teaching Award for their unique, innovative and holistic approaches to education.
“Education for me is what I live and I breathe,” says Alison. “It's very much around the connections you make with those kids, but beyond that with their families… and just getting to know their stories, how they've come to be where they are, and then seeing the other end, the success.”
“We are their safe place,” Rachel says. “We welcome families in and we want to help them, to support them in all aspects, so their kids do get the best educational opportunities.”
“We've had a number of years where wellbeing was our main focus and actually getting kids into classrooms was a huge challenge,” says Rachel. “Now we're seeing that re-engagement with our community, wanting to come back into the school, wanting to know what their kids are learning.”
“We invest a lot of time in not only knowing how to be an amazing teacher in regards to our pedagogy,” Alison adds, “but also to understand how you work really well with kids who come from a background where they have trauma, disability, they're going without the basic needs.”
In our latest conversation, CEO Doug Taylor meets the principals of two of our partner primary schools – Alison Forthuber, Principal of Bellambi Public School; and Rachel Armer, Assistant Principal of Warilla North Public School. Both were recent recipients of a National Excellence in Teaching Award for their unique, innovative and holistic approaches to education.
Passionate educators
Alison and Rachel have both been educators for more than two decades, leaving an indelible footprint on thousands of young people over that time and building strong relationships with their fellow teachers, parents and the broader community.“Education for me is what I live and I breathe,” says Alison. “It's very much around the connections you make with those kids, but beyond that with their families… and just getting to know their stories, how they've come to be where they are, and then seeing the other end, the success.”
“We are their safe place,” Rachel says. “We welcome families in and we want to help them, to support them in all aspects, so their kids do get the best educational opportunities.”
Hope for the future
Despite the challenges of working with students with high levels of complexity, both educators continue to feel hopeful about the work being done, with partners like The Smith Family, to support children and families within and outside of the classroom.“We've had a number of years where wellbeing was our main focus and actually getting kids into classrooms was a huge challenge,” says Rachel. “Now we're seeing that re-engagement with our community, wanting to come back into the school, wanting to know what their kids are learning.”
“We invest a lot of time in not only knowing how to be an amazing teacher in regards to our pedagogy,” Alison adds, “but also to understand how you work really well with kids who come from a background where they have trauma, disability, they're going without the basic needs.”
Conversation highlights
In this inspiring and insightful conversation, Alison and Rachel talk to Doug about:
- [1:00] What drives them to continue their work in education over many years
- [4.25] The biggest challenges facing young people in their communities right now
- [7.00] What teachers need to support students in boosting educational outcomes
- [10.10] What gives them hope for the future in education
Watch the full conversation below or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
