There were more than 840 of the region’s teachers at Riverlinks Eastbank for the event.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
More than 800 teachers became the students this week, in one of the biggest professional development days seen in Shepparton in 20 years.
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Staff from 26 government schools — from Shepparton and surrounds, and beyond — made up the 840-strong audience at Riverlinks Eastbank on Monday, May 12.
The event facilitator was Nairn Walker from Social Solutions, whose focus is on celebrating capacity and optimising outcomes for individuals and organisations in schools, workplaces, families and communities
Kialla West Primary School principal Wes Teague, who is chair of the network executive team that organised the event, said the group strived to deliver valuable professional development for local schools.
“It was great to get teachers together and deliver the message surrounding high expectations for kids, celebrating what they can achieve, not what they can’t do,” Mr Teague said.
The keynote speaker, Ms Walker, has worked across Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Her audiences include community and government practitioners, police and justice workers, doctors and dentists, nurses, allied health, housing, welfare, social service, youth and family support professionals, educators, employment agencies, churches, local, state and federal politicians, employers, businesses and corporations.
Social Solutions’ Nairn Walker was the keynote speaker.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Ms Walker’s vocational background is in education and administration, where she enjoyed a number of roles, including program and campus manager for disadvantaged and challenging youth and their families in northern Tasmania, and time spent on the regional behaviour support team.
She co-founded and chaired the Mt Arthur Centre in Tasmania, which is dedicated to individual and community wellbeing, and has held other directorial positions on community boards with organisations including HeadSpace and Rotary.
The mother of three teenagers also taught Equity and Social Justice at the University of Tasmania (School of Education) for several years.
Mr Teague said the executive committee would review and reflect on the day’s success before deciding on future professional development themes for teaching staff in the region.
“We always want to try and promote great quality professional development for our teachers,” he said.
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