Fiona Hawkins from Sturt Public School is the second Wagga teacher to be showcased in this week’s Feature the Teacher.
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Name: Fiona Hawkins
School: Sturt Public School
Grades and subjects taught: Teaches a 5/6 ‘opportunity class’, which is for gifted and talented students. It’s the only specialised class taught in the Riverina, and involves STEM classes as well as the core subjects of: literacy, maths, science, personal development, health, history.
1. Why did you become a teacher?
I’ve always had a love of children and I’ve always wanted to become a teacher since I was a little girl, this was the only thing I wanted to do.
2. What’s the best or worst excuse a student has ever given for not doing their homework?
I had a little boy once, who told me his homework got trodden on by a cow on his way to the bus stop.
3. What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you in the classroom?
I had a child vomit all over me, wasn’t great, I had to go home and get changed and then come back to school.
4. What do you love most about your job?
A couple of things, every day is different and you never know what each day is going to bring, and also forming the relationships with the kids and their families.
5. What’s the funniest question a student has ever asked you?
You always get a few funny one’s when you teach the kids about the Birds and the Bees.
6. How has technology transformed the roles of the teacher?
The teacher is now more of a facilitator and now the students are learning in more of an individualised way.
7. Who’s harder to keep in line – parents or children?
Yeah that was a tricky one. Both are actually quite easy if you have that mutual respect.
8. What’s your secret to controlling an unruly class?
The softer you speak, the quieter they become.
9. What’s the one subject you would never want to teach?
Agriculture, I really couldn’t teach that.
If you have a stand-out teacher that you think would be great to interview and feature, please email: jessica.whitty@fairfaxmedia.com.au