Secondary Teacher - Macintyre High School
Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Inverell
gsekylie@gmail.com
I began my career as a primary school teacher in 2008 and moved into the secondary sector half way through my second year of teaching. I decided to make the change after being offered a job as an English/History teacher, with the opportunity to coach touch football and teach ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) to fellow colleagues. I completed my higher education studies at the University of New England (UNE) in Armidale, after deferring for a year to work and pay for my further studies. At UNE I gained a Bachelor of Education Primary. I work at Macintyre High School (M.H.S) in Inverell, where I grew up as a child.
In addition to teaching students English and History I am also a Year Advisor and member of several committees, including the social committee, PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) committee and Technology committee, which has a current focus on moving the school towards being paperless. As mentioned previously I also coach sports and train other teachers in how to implement ICT into their everyday teaching practice. I am enjoying growing and learning as an educator in the early stages of my career and working with the wonderful students and staff at Macintyre High.
Inverell is a small rural town in the central North West of New South Wales and was built on the Macintyre River. Also known as the Sapphire City, it has a population of around 12,000 and is a very beautiful and picturesque place to live. Inverell’s major industries include farming and cropping, tourism (Copeton Dam Recreational Park, National Transport Museum, Fossicking, Pioneer Villiage), domestic and export beef markets (abattoirs) and Aged Care. Inverell supports and promotes a variety of creative arts ventures and is renowned for its sporting facilities and services.
One of my primary reasons for moving back to Inverell was to spend time with my family, as they are an important part of my life. My mother and father, Julie and Richard, have continued to live in Inverell and my brother Brent and his wife Catherine moved back to Inverell around the same time as I did to start a family. It is wonderful getting to spend time with my family almost every day and seeing my gorgeous nephew and niece, Luke and Sophie, grow up.
My interests include art, theatre, literature, singing, bushwalking, camping, travel, water skiing/knee boarding, discovering new places and meeting new people. I am also quite an athletic person and enjoy playing a number of sports and being part of a team. Sports I particularly enjoy are touch football, hockey and League-Tag. Coaching is also a real passion of mine.
During our visit to District 5370 I would like to:
· Visit Secondary schools to meet other professionals and learn about:
- General administration and organisation
- Curriculum development and programming
- Behaviour systems and programs
- Integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) including, Interactive Whiteboards (Smartboards), One to One learning with Laptops, web based projects/programs or other ICT initiatives
- Literacy programs
- Higher Order Thinking (HOT) initiatives/practices
- Gifted and talented/Special Needs education
- Boys/Girls education
- Sporting programs
- Leadership programs
- Beginning teacher programs
· See the Dollywood Foundation's Imagination Library in practice. This initiative provides a book each month to children from birth until age five. I would absolutely love to see this initiative in practice and learn about what it entails and the advantages of such a program.
· Visit tourist destinations, galleries, museums, educational sites, National Parks and Aboriginal areas.
· Learn about and experience the lifestyle and culture of Canada, including the theatre and sports.
· Meet new and interesting people
