About Me

I have been a teacher since 1997 and for the majority of my career as a Curriculum Coordinator for Humanities. In that role I have worked to develop high standards within the team and maintained currency with emergent educational and technological changes.

My teaching in the area of English is based on over twenty years in teaching a very language rich area and teaching English at the highest level in schools. I have mentored students at university level to third year level and with my guidance they have achieved on average high distinction grades. In China in particular I coordinated master classes teaching the teachers across a range of schools to better deliver the VCE English curriculum.

On moving to Cambodia, I was promoted to the Dean of Student Affairs with the Student Affairs Office (SAO). At that time was a new department covering behavior management of developing a school wide well-being program for approximately 950 students. This department has been very successful in working to develop a school culture involving a house system, discipline approaches and careers guidance. The approach of the SAO has had a dramatic impact on unacceptable behaviour and in the month of February reduced parental concerns to zero.

I am very outcome driven and in particular with regards to positive rather than reactive behavior management processes. I routinely look at student records to identify students at risk as well as students achieving their new ‘personal best’ outcomes. In my teaching experience I have used Desire to Learn, Seqta and Managebac learning platforms and diagnostic tools within them. My team and I have routinely had courageous conversations over a wide range of topics with the needs of the student very much the core of our approach. We work to understand the situation of the whole child.

 My team’s motto is very simple; safe, happy then learn. The first two are essential to quality learning and supporting students to take positive educational risks has been a central theme of the SAO since its inception.

In behavior management the core ethos is that students can make mistakes and this is another learning lesson opportunity. The SAO teaches life lessons seeking to value the student while supporting a change in behavior.

I have been very active in helping developing best practice student safeguarding with the Child Protection Unit (CPU) Cambodia and with other lead schools helped develop the first Phnom Penh wide safeguarding training and conference which involved teacher and police training.

My school experience at Westminster as a student, parent and teacher has been very shaped by the schools’ traditional English model of structuring a school and values and my interest in your school is that we share a similar approach to school culture and values.

My aim in leaving Southbridge is to continue to grow as an educator and leader. I have considerable experience in senior leadership working in a diverse range of schools in my career. I believe that I have the core skills and necessary experience to cover this position and look forward to an opportunity to discuss this with you and your team further.