Staff in the Spotlight
With so many staff joining our team this year, we would like to give our school community the opportunity to get to know our new teachers in a fun way. Each week we will be spotlighting a new staff member and sharing with you all sorts of fun and interesting stories about who they are and most importantly, why they became a teacher and what they love most about teaching!
This week we are spotlighting Kathryn Allen who joined our Humanities team at the beginning of the year.
Katherine has a passion for puzzles and many of her classes begin with students utilising their problem-solving skills to activate their thinking and engage them in their learning.
How long have you been teaching?
One year. I've worked in education for about 12 years.
What school/university or organisation have you come from?
Glen Eira College
Why did you decide to become a teacher?
Fame, fortune and glory! Or to see students achieve things they didn't realise they were capable of achieving.
What do you love most about teaching?
No two days are the same - or even particularly similar.
What has been one of your best teaching moments?
Having one of my students say "Not yet, Miss" when I was about to go through a problem they had been struggling with. The student was still working on it and really wanted to solve it by themselves. It was exactly the attitude I want to see from everyone. And the best bit: the student succeeded.
What are three things you would like your students to know about you?
I really enjoy finding out new things, particularly about space. I hope to set foot on all 7 continents in my lifetime. The radio series of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is one of my favourites.
Where's your favourite holiday destination?
My family has a holiday house in a tiny town in Gippsland that we go to regularly. Other than that I don't really have a favourite holiday destination as I like to go to new places every time.
What are tv show/series did you last binge watch?
Red Dwarf - during the school holidays I introduced my son to Red Dwarf and he'll never look at cats the same way again.
If you could wear Harry's invisibility cloak for one day, where would you go and what would you do?
Perhaps I'd go behind the scenes at the zoo and see what the animals do when there's no one around. This is a hard question as I would want to be able to ask questions, which defeats the purpose of being invisible!
What is the one piece of 'advice' or the one thing that you always say to your students?
Before assessments: Make sure to answer everything. I can't give you any marks if there's nothing there.