Reflections

World Teachers' Day

When I was 15 years old and in Year 9 at St Colman’s College, Shepparton (now Notre Dame College) I was excited to participate in the traditional work experience program where students went out into the workforce for a two-week period during the school term. My career of choice was teaching. I visited my old Primary School at St Mary’s Mooroopna, and loved every minute of it. I decided at age 15 that I wanted to go to university to study teaching. No one in my family had ever finished high school, let alone attended university, and at the time, country kids had to move to Melbourne to attend tertiary education. It was a big decision for a country kid to make. I did not know anyone who had attended university. My parents were very supportive, and so I packed my bags and moved to the 'big smoke'. 

I majored in Physical Education and Theology in my Bachelor of Education at the Australian Catholic University, and even from an early age, I always challenged myself to find purpose in life and to live a life as big as I could. My sister Hayley died when I was 26. She was 24 and her tragic drowning propelled me to live a life of 'no regrets' and the courage to explore the world. This is why I moved to the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland and taught at an all-girls high school that was a boarding school with approximately 30 percent First Nations students. This experience changed me. I met my future wife in the tin mining town of Herberton in FNQ where I was teaching. She was a guest speaker at our school and serving in the Peace Corps as an American teacher in American Samoa. I invited myself to Samoa and was a guest at the school where Julie taught! 

My world kept expanding, with my sister’s spirit alongside me, and I moved to Chicago to get married and start teaching and coaching at a co-ed high school in the 'burbs. After 15 years, three kids, dual citizenship and a master’s degree in educational leadership, we packed up the family and moved back to Melbourne in 2012. 

My purpose in life for many years now has been to build community, and since arriving at St Catherine’s, I can confidently say that my purpose is supported wonderfully by our small, but mighty blue-ribboned neighbourhood. St Catherine’s has reminded me why I love teaching. I love it because of the intentional community we build. I love it because I laugh and smile with the girls while teaching them lessons about teamwork, sacrifice and hard work. I love it because my wish for the girls is the same as my wish for my own three children. That is to make a difference in the world with intellect and kindness. I’m grateful that we are in it together. At a time when university graduates struggle to go into teaching, and teaching is sometimes not seen as the most desirable vocation, I am forever grateful that my life has taken me to schools and students across Australia and the globe. If you’re reading this, thank a teacher! 

 Mr Paul McMahon

Junior School Sports Coordinator