Feature the Teacher is all about recognising the amazing efforts Wagga teachers are contributing every day to the growth and development of students.
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This week we’re showcasing Mrs Monica Langtry, the music and drama teacher at St Joseph’s Primary School.
Name: Monica Langtry
School: St Joseph’s Primary School
Grades and subjects taught: Music and drama teacher K-6.
1. Why did you become a teacher?
To share my love of the subject with others.
2. What’s the best or worst excuse a student has ever given for not doing their homework?
I’ve heard some good ones.
They come up with excellent excuses to not play the guitar, like ‘I’ve broken my arm, or my finger.’
3. What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you in the classroom?
Oh there’s too many to mention, you’d probably have to ask the kids. I probably do embarrassing stuff all the time.
I lead by example so I’ll throw myself out there in the singing and dancing to encourage them to get involved and have a go and build confidence, so all day I’ll be doing embarrassing singing and dancing to increase student involvement.
4. What do you love most about your job?
Oh, I love my job. I love the kids, I love this school.
I feel so blessed to have this job, it is the best job in the world. I’d keep turning up even if I wasn’t employed here. I just love it, the kids are great and I’m very lucky to be at this school.
5. What’s the funniest question a student has every asked you?
‘Have you done your hair today Mrs Langtry?’ And they told me to try again after I admitted that I had.
The kids are so honest, don’t ask them if you don’t want to know the truth.
6. What’s the biggest change you’ve witnessed during your teaching career?
Definitely technology, because that is changing everyday and that is affecting teaching everyday.
Not so much in this course and subject but the use of technology in this course and in your teaching, there’s huge developments.
Recently, our school has got a green screen and the school has invested in that. So we can shoot video of kids against a green screen and they can then edit the video and put themselves against any backdrop.
Opportunities are endless for music and drama with a green screen and edit the video.
7. Who’s harder to keep in line – parents or children?
Yeah the parents are pretty rowdy – but that’s a joke, I’m actually a parent at this school.
It’s a lovely school community.
8. What’s your secret to controlling an unruly class?
They just don’t exist at this school, not even joking.
But, I’m very lucky in music and drama, it’s a subject that is very inclusive and lots of movement which is quite easy then to engage the kids.
9. What’s the one subject you would never want to teach?
I would give everything a go, but I don’t think anyone should let me near any power tools in high school or things like that.
Never say never, just give everything a go. I didn’t know I would be here teaching kindergarten from teaching high school year 12’s.