Five Minutes with Ms Casley

Do you collect anything?  

Not really. The closest I would get to collecting anything is that I like to buy something small from every place I travel to.

Do you play a musical instrument? If so, which one? 

I do not.

How long have you worked at Beaumaris Secondary College? 

4 years.

How many languages do you speak? 

Two, or one and a half: English and German, which I learned at uni.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

Tough question, but if it’s a whole meal, probably proper Italian pizza and gelati.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, you’ve never been, where would you go? 

I would like to go on a luxury safari.

If you were a superhero, what powers would you have? 

Definitely flying, and I think I’d like super speed too.

Is there anyone who has influenced you as a teacher? In what way? 

I would say my Year 11 English teacher, because she had so much compassion and a genuine desire to help young people.

Tell us about your family. 

I’m married, and I've got two kids: a son who's 11 and is going to high school next year, and a daughter who's 9.

What animal would you like to be for a day?  

A bird, or something that can fly, but not one that eats meat.

What book/tv series/podcasts are you into at the moment? 

I like true crime podcasts. For books, I usually tend to read nonfiction, like history and travel. I don’t really watch a lot of TV.

What do you love most about Beaumaris? 

I love the people—the relationships between the staff and students make this a great community to work in.

What has been a highlight of your time at BSC? 

I would say setting up the high-abilities programs and working with really passionate learners.

What is it you hope to be able to say about your years of teaching when you’ve retired? 

I would like to be able to say that I tried really hard to always do what was best for each individual student who went through my classroom.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? 

The most rewarding part of my job is helping students find things they are passionate about.

What is your favourite animal and why? 

Capybara, 100%, because they are every other animal's friend.

What is your favourite movie? 

I love pretty much every Christmas movie because it’s my favourite time of the year.

What is your favourite music? 

I will always sing along to a show tune.

What is your favourite sport to watch or play? 

I don’t play any sports; I love watching gymnastics and figure skating.

What is your ideal way to unwind and relax? 

Probably playing board games with my kids or going for a long hike somewhere naturally beautiful, or with a good view.

What is your role at the school? 

I am a Learning Specialist, and I’m responsible for the high-abilities programs.

What skill would you like to master? 

I want Ms. Eales to teach me how to crochet.

What was the last book you read? 

I’m reading a book called A Village in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd. It’s about a small village in Germany and the changes and experiences they went through between the end of World War I and the end of World War II. 

What was your favourite subject at school? 

Our World, definitely. But I liked Maths too, because after trying to work out what happened in history, it was nice to go to Maths, where I could get a clear answer.

What would you sing at karaoke night? 

I would probably go for a song from Les Misérables, like maybe “On My Own.”

What’s the coolest thing you’ve been working on this year? 

It was probably the escape room I made with my HAWK students, based on Ancient Egypt.

What’s your favourite holiday destination? 

I think the German Christmas markets or Disneyland.

What’s your most fond childhood memory? 

I would say playing cards with my grandparents. They were cool; my grandpa used to let me cheat by pretending he’d fallen asleep.

When you were little what did you aspire to be? 

When I was little, I wanted to be a teacher.

Who inspires you? 

Dorothy Thompson, because she was an American journalist in the first half of the 20th century, and she spoke out against things no matter how dangerous it was.

Who would you like to swap places with for the day? 

Maybe someone like Taylor Swift because I’m curious to know what it feels like to have fans screaming at you wherever you go and having no privacy. I wouldn’t want to live that way, just experience it once.

Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life? 

Zooey Deschanel.

Why did you choose to go into teaching? 

I originally wanted to teach overseas and see the world while working with young people.

Why did you choose to work at Beaumaris? 

I came here because I really love the teaching and learning model here, especially the project-based learning.

Thanks, Ms Casley! 

Interview by Lara K (Year 8) & Oliver P (Year 9)