Staff stories

Waltzin' the Matildas and Maths

On the eve of the Matildas seventh successive Women's World Cup appearance, long-term staff member, Bill Murray, attended the launch of the Encyclopedia of the Matildas a history of 239 women who have played soccer for Australia. He came away with a copy signed by former players grateful for his contribution to them representing their nation at the highest level. This honour, and Bill's Scottish accent, confirms that he hasdan interesting and inspiring career pathway.

 

I coached in the Australian Men’s A League from 1985 to 1987 and with various state league teams from 1978 to 1994. When I started teaching at MGSC, I volunteered to coach the Victorian Women's teams long before it became fashionable. I coached the Victorian Under 16 Girls team to the National Final in 1995. In 1999, I coached the Victorian Women's team to the National title and in 2000 the Victorian Under 19 team to the finals. Though the Under 19 girls had been the only undefeated team during the season, they missed out on the finals. 

 

Bill's teaching career story is just as intriguing. Bill was a teacher at Noble Park Tech when it closed and amalgamated with the local high school. He was asked to apply for a position at MGSC. 

 

The rest is history. I had found my home for the rest of my career. After being a toolmaker apprentice, a toolmaker, a technical sales engineer, a project engineer, a production control manager, a soccer player and a soccer coach I became what I always was - a teacher. The best decision I ever made career wise.

 

Congratulations Bill Murray on your contribution to women's sport and education.  Go the Matildas!

Vana Dimu

"Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it”.

 

Mary Oliver, one of the greatest poets of all time, contributed exquisite poems to humanity. Whenever I read her words, wherever I am, no matter how busy or stressed or overwhelmed I am, I feel myself come alive, instantly reminded that if I pay attention, I’ll be astonished. Mary is just one of the many, many teachers I’ve had in my life.

 

I graduated from Mentone Girls' Secondary College in 2010 and during my time at Mentone I had exceptional teachers. So much so that nine years later, I was inspired to become a teacher at MGSC. I can’t say that I expected to teach in the same rooms that I sat in as a Year 9 student; where I would roll my gum into a tiny ball and shoot it into the rubbish bin behind my Maths teacher’s back. Rooms where I would pay serious attention to my gum throwing technique and witness my Maths teacher struggle with her feelings of needing to tell me off whilst secretly hiding the part of her that was astonished I could shoot gum in from the back row. Today, when a cheeky student of mine tries to shoot her paper in the bin from the back row and misses, I think to myself  “I could have done that with a chewy, Miss Dimu could teach you a thing or two.” Nine years later, I am in charge of a different kind of practice. Paper and gum isn’t thrown around my English classroom, but we throw some big ideas around, pulling them apart and questioning them.

 

Although I did have some Year 9 cheekiness in me in 2010, I have always been deeply in love with learning. It was in the rooms of this phenomenal school that many big ideas were planted into the eager roots of my mind. I came here every day, ready to be astonished, and every day, I was. It was here that my dear teacher and now colleague Clare Selir suggested I do teaching. Nine years later, my students astonish me. It was in the walls of this school that my teachers (with skills that cannot be called anything less than artistic) transmitted their passion and love for learning into me.

 

Mary Oliver instructed that to live a life we must pay attention and expect to be astonished. Some days I am more astonished than others and I don’t mean to coat my everyday teaching experience with a fake, phony gloss. It is hard. It is testing. It is challenging. At times, testing to the point of tears. So I will end on the realest note I can think of: The teacher tantrum tears are worth the moments of expected (and unexpected) student engagement, passion, joy and of course, astonishment.

Student to staff 

MGSC currently has five staff members who are former students: Carol Duggan (Assistant Principal), Deb Jarvis (Director of Middle School), Vana Dimu (teacher), Sam Sleep (teacher) and Teagan Dixon (teacher).