Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2011

STAFF PROFILES

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MS ALISON DARE ptRECroR, HUMANIIES FAcuLry

ln 1993 I joined the Humanities staff at Brisbane Girls Grammar School after com pleting my stud ies at The U n iversity of Qu,eensland in the previous year. Being a new graduate, I was acutely aware of my inexperience in regard to the teaching profession yet the intimidation that this brought with it was tem pered by a sense that a greal opportunity had befallen me. As a teacher of classroom H istory, I taught in the Junior School as well as in the a reas of Sen ior Ancient a nd Modern History. Working alongside highly skilled educators during this period enabled me to ref ine my own practice a nd develop a model of pedagogy which could meet the

cha llenges im plicit with in the dyna m ic a nd evolving lea rn ing environ ment that is Girls Grcmmar. ln 2004, my career took a new turn when lwas appointed Head of O'Connor House. Th is role, wh ich I fou nd im mensely rewa rd ing, ena bled me to deepen my understanding of the interface between the social and emotional well being of adolescent girls and th eir academic development. lt was a lso a chance to explore the many dimensions of the School beyond the classroom. After working in the area of student ca(e for six years, I took up the Directorship of the H u ma n ities Facu lty. Th is opportu n ity to steer the faculty has presented many exciting challenges which involve not only keeping a breast of the latest trends in h u ma n ities ed ucation but a lso playing a leading role in these. B risba ne G irls G ra m mar School has opened ma ny professiona I doors to me. I have had the opportunity to participate in rich and varied professional development and look forward to the new chapters that lie a head in my ca reer.

MR TRENT DRIVER DEAN OF ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT

My journey to Girls Grammar had taken me through classrooms in state, Catholic and lndependent schools, and has seen me wield my whiteboard marker in NSW with stints in Vietnam and China along the way. Undergraduate studies at the University of Sydney and postgraduate work at Macquarie and Newcastle Universities both star[ed me on this course and provided some formative side-trips along the way. My last stop before Gregory Terrace was at Newin$on College in Sydney as Head of the Economics Department over the past eight years. As a large independent boys' school, I had the opporlunity to work with the boys in many varied contexts - coaching debating and volleyball teams, leading outdoor education expeditions and being parl of the school's service programme among them. As a teacher I have always enjoyed teaching the elegance of economic theory, but the time in class exploring the grey areas of economic ideas have always been the most rewarding. I have feared that economists and policy makers too often hide or couch their ideas in an arcane language or lry and reduce them to a lowest common denominator for a fifteen second sound bite. Being able to explore the reasoning, logic, bias and values that are inherent in any debate I have always believed is an important tool to leave school with and is something I hope that I have been able to teach my ciasses to value. It is the classroom that has drawn me to Girls Gram mar. The opporlunity to teach and work in an environment where learning is valued and where teachers and students alike are excited about the ways in which it can occur is rare, and exciting in and of itself. ln my role as Dean of Academic Development I am looking fonruard to being involved in shaping the curriculum of the School's future and the chance to work with the innovative and passionate teachers in the School's classrooms in exploring how it can be delivered in a changing world. For me, they are exciting times indeed.

MS ABBY HILLS CLASSROOM THACHf; R, HUMAF{ITIES

When I first emerged from my undergraduate degree, lwas initially quite dismissive of the idea of a career in teaching; I wanted to explore the world, embark on exciting adventures and get as far away from institutions as possible. I pu rsued a career in the visua I a rts both here in Australia and the United Kingdom, working in printma king stud ios a nd as a com mercia I scu lptor. Du ring th is period I learned a greal deal about myself and the big wide world, and it proved a very stim u lati ng and rewa rd ing time in my life. It wasn't until I had somewhat of an epiphany in my mid 20s when I found myself working with children in a tutoring capacity that I realised I actually thoroughly enjoyed teach ing, it im med iately seemed very natural and 'right' for me, I was soon enrolled in a teaching degree, and after graduating I was eager to explore the ways in which my life experience would inform my teaching practice and how my practical skills might be applied to the classroom.

ln 2008, I joined the staff at Brisbane Girls Gram rnar School as a teacher of Art and History. Straddling the Humanities and Creative Ar[s Faculties proved to be informative to my pedagogical platform which has been enriched through the dynamic links that exist between these two knowledge areas. Since midway through 2008, I have co-ordinated the Second Chance Committee, a group dedicated to supporting the plight of Brisbane's homeless women, The opporlunity that this position has afforded me in helping to guide our students to make a meaningful difference within the community has been immensely hearl-warming and humbling.

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