Tell us about your journey into teaching, David.

Upon leaving high school, I studied a Bachelor of Arts (Political Economy and English) and a Bachelor of Secondary Education (Honours Class I) at the University of Sydney. I was offered a permanent teaching position in 2019 and gained experience across the school leading to my substantive Head Teacher Secondary Studies position at the same school that I continue to cherish dearly.

Tell us about your journey into teaching, Jenny.

After completing my HSC, I started university with a double degree of Laws and Social Science. However, inspired by the impact of my high school English teacher, I switched to a Bachelor of Arts (English and History) and later earned a Masters of Teaching from Western Sydney University. As a proud advocate for public education, I draw inspiration from my teachers, loved ones, colleagues, and students, continually growing my passion for lifelong learning.

David, tell us about a mentor in your beginning/early career years that inspired you.

In my early career years, I was privileged to work alongside a Deputy Principal who was extremely aspirational and dedicated to the education field. He went on to complete his Lead Teacher accreditation, establishing and refining a range of whole-school initiatives that were focused on enhancing student outcomes. It was his courageous leadership that not only inspired me but has continued to shape who I am as a leader today. I recall the various ‘golden nuggets’ of advice that he would offer me, telling me to give every opportunity a go, and helping me realise that educational leadership is really about the outcomes of the students next door as much as it is about the students within your own classroom. When you are in your first year and full of questions, it is nice to have a colleague remind you of how you’re doing a great job, and how they believe in your potential to influence the education landscape. I’ll never forget the confidence my mentor instilled in me, and this very confidence is what I hope to instill in my mentees.

Jenny, what has been your greatest achievement this year and how has your mentor helped you along the way?

My greatest achievement this year has been witnessing the growth of my students as they discover themselves as learners. It’s one thing to teach, but it takes resilience to remain present for and supportive of them. For the first time this year, I came to understand the different ways growth can manifest, both for my students and for myself as a teacher.

My mentor, David, has supported me as I navigated my first year. While he offers advice and perspective, he also gives me space to reflect and find my own solutions. When I struggle with decisions, he reminds me that I am not alone in this struggle and am strong enough to adapt and improve. His encouragement gave me the confidence to keep evolving, not just as a teacher, but as a person navigating the journey of teaching.

David, what has been the most rewarding part of your role as a beginning/early career teacher mentor?

The most rewarding aspect of being a mentor to early career teachers is seeing how teachers grow in confidence in a range of areas. This is not limited to just pedagogy, because we know that teaching is multifaceted. Whether it is growing their confidence and developing classroom management skills, confidence in sharing their views in a public forum or a faculty meeting, confidence in developing and sharing a lesson plan, confidence in writing reports independently, or even just confidence in asking a question of a fellow colleague, these are all huge milestones in an early career teacher’s journey. We are too often our own harshest critics as teachers, so I never underestimate the value that I play as a mentor in empowering those I work with to build the confidence to take the lead in whatever challenge it is that they may be facing.

As a beginning teacher yourself, Jenny, what advice would you share with other beginning teachers who are looking for support?

Jennifer Gonzalez coined one essential rule for beginning teachers that I live by; the marigold effect.

In the early stages of your teaching career, finding the right support can make all the difference in your professional growth and job satisfaction. One of the most effective strategies is to surround yourself with positive and energetic colleagues who genuinely foster an environment of support. Much like a young plant needing the right conditions to thrive, your success as a beginning teacher often depends on the garden of educators you plant yourself within. By planting yourself near a marigold, you will grow healthy and strong from their nurture and support.

As my mentor, David has played a vital role in my growth as an early career teacher. While officially focused on my professional learning and development, he also serves as my unofficial sounding board - helping me unpack successes and, when necessary, challenge my assumptions. Mentors like him do more than guide you through curriculum or pedagogy; they nurture your confidence, encourage you to step outside your comfort zone, and provide a safe space to experiment and make mistakes.

I was very lucky to be planted next to a marigold however, your marigold may be on the other side of the building, in a different faculty area or otherwise less convenient to reach than others. You will need to seek them out and be open to reflect … a lot!

Trust in your mentors. Trust in their experience, their expertise and their perspective. However, remember that your mentors are also growing and adapting as educators too. Observe how they provide and gain valuable insights into the ongoing processes of becoming a better practitioner, but don’t forget to discover and refine your own unique teaching style, rooted in your personal values and strengths.

A good mentor will help you grow into the teacher you aspire to be, not just the teacher others expect you to become.

Jenny, what is your go to piece of advice that you share with all beginning teachers?

Never stop learning and being open to new ideas and experiences. We went into the profession to help students realise their potential and to instill the values of lifelong learning, which means that we ourselves need to be open to a future of lifelong learning. Not only that, but I will always remember back to the various professional learning opportunities I was afforded in my first few years of teaching and just how valuable they have been. Many of these professional learnings sometimes came at the most inopportune times, often in the middle of Trial HSC marking or report writing, but the ability to come with an open mind to take something away has shaped who I am today. It is easy to fall into a trap of thinking you know everything, or that everything gets repackaged in a different way over time, but it really is the ability to keep an open mind that allows you to love the job just like the very first day you entered the profession. At the end of the day, we continue to learn because we want our students to learn from the very best.

David, what resources are useful for new mentors or that you share with your beginning teachers?

I’ll start off with something cliché and say that teachers are our system’s most valuable resources. Get into as many classrooms as possible and reflect on good practice with your critical friend (your mentor). If afforded the opportunity to team teach, take it! What you can learn from planning a lesson with a co-teacher, and then learning from each other’s teaching in the classroom is such a valuable resource.

There’s heaps of resources now out there for beginning teachers, but the one constant for me year after year (not just as a beginning teacher, but a teacher at any stage of their career) is the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APSTs). All our professional learning at our school is mapped against the APSTs and we are always unpacking what the APSTs looked like in action, whether that be at proficient, highly accomplished or lead teacher level. To this day, some of the most inspiring people I work with continue to look back at the APSTs to inform their practice and shape the practice of others, and it really goes to show just how robust the framework really is in capturing what it is we do as teachers. Alongside the APSTs is of course the Quality Teaching Model, another timeless document that really goes to the heart of quality classroom practice. In my opinion, you really cannot go astray as a teacher if you have these two documents working in unison as they remind us that great practice underpinned by student-centered decisions overrides anything else.

Jenny, what are your must have teacher tools that you couldn’t live without?

• Magnetic countdown classroom timer.
• Tracking systems such as a homework tracker and merit tracker.
• A gratitude journal where you write down 3 things you’re grateful for everyday.
• Some stationery to write down random acts of kindness for your marigolds.

The Beginning Teacher Information Hub is another great resource for beginning teachers looking for advice and support when commencing their teaching career in NSW public schools.