This week we’re turning the tables and showcasing a preschool teacher from Wagga Station Place Goodstart Early Learning.  

Name: Narelle McLeod 

Preschool: Wagga Goodstart 

Grades: Two to five year olds. 

1. Why did you become a preschool teacher? 

Obviously I love children and from nought to five, a lot of people don’t realise, that’s the most important time for children to develop all of the foundations for future life, like relationships and learning. 

2. What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you in the classroom? 

I was teaching the kids how to sneeze into their sleeve for hygiene and then to wash their hands and I sneezed into my hands and all the kids said: “no Relly, blow into your sleeve and then go and wash your hands.” 

So they picked up on the things that I was supposed to be doing. 

3. What do you love most about your job?

The children, the staff and the parents. I like everything about it. 

4. What’s the funniest question a student has ever asked you? 

There’s lots and some can be quite embarrassing.

Probably when my husband came down to visit me one day and the kids go, “Is that your dad Relly?”

5. What’s the biggest change you’ve witnessed in your career? 

When it went back from a teaching focus to a child focus.

Now we follow the children’s interest and build on their learning through the child’s interest and what they would like to do. 

Where as, it used to be one class suited everybody and now it’s more individual.

6. What’s your secret to controlling an unruly class? 

The secret is to always be positive and really know your children.

So knowing when they’re going to snap, or speak out, always be positive and pick up when they’re doing the right thing, rather than when they’re doing the wrong thing. 

7. How has technology transformed the role of a teacher? 

Well now there’s an app called Storypark, where we post stories about the children and what we’ve done for the day, how they’re meeting their developmental milestones.

Everything a parent wants to know and they can just zoom in at the end of the day and click on a button and see photos of what their child has done all day. They can now stay in contact with their child through technology. 

If you have a stand-out teacher that you think would be great to interview and feature, please email: jessica.whitty@fairfaxmedia.com.au