About Me

Hi! I’m Cath

MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch

I believe that this is our work as teachers. To see the potential in our students and help them develop the knowledge, experience, and skills they require to flourish.

For me, this means accepting every young person in front of me for who they are in this moment. It means understanding their diverse needs and ensuring that every learner is met with fairness, assuredness, and kindness. It means co-creating a safe and nurturing space within my classroom that goes beyond teaching content to building a community of learners, where we can work together to achieve things impossible to do alone.

I aim to deliver rich applied learning experiences, while operating within my limits of time and energy so that I can enjoy a long, satisfying teaching career.

As a teacher, I am aware that this will require self-awareness, steadfast values, clear boundaries and occasionally some firm guidance. However, it is my belief that this approach is worth it – for the confidence and resilience that our young people experience while at school – and to prepare them to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

If you’d like to discuss a teaching opportunity or request access to view my portfolio, please connect with me here.

VIEW MY TEACHING PORTFOLIO*

Teaching Areas

Visual Communication Design (Years 7-10)
VCE Visual Communication Design
Visual Arts (Years 7-10)
VCE Art Creative Practice
VCE Art Making and Exhibiting
Economics and Business (Years 7-10)
VCE Business Management
VCE Industry and Enterprise
VCE VM Literacy
VCE VM Numeracy
VCE VM Personal Development Skills
VCE VM Work Related Skills

*Requires password. Please contact me to request access.

Personal Values to Pedagogical Practices.

To be a successful teacher, I need to be authentically myself – someone who is equally creative and pragmatic and fully aligned with my values. The theories and practices below outline a student-centred approach that is positive, inclusive, relevant, and collaborative.

Value 1: Positive

By adopting a positive approach and bringing a sense of joy, gratitude and passion to my teaching practice, I aim to enhance the learning experience and support the wellbeing of my students, colleagues and myself.

Value 2: Inclusive

I am aware that in a typical cohort, there will be learners who have different cultural backgrounds, learning styles and abilities. It is important to ensure that all students can engage with their learning, achieve their goals, and grow as individuals and within the class community.

Value 3: Relevant

My time, attention and energy are valuable resources. I respect my students, recognising that their time, attention and energy is valuable too. It is essential that any learning activities that they undertake are relevant and engaging, have real-world applications, and do not involve non-essential “busy” work.

Value 4: Collaborative

Humans are social beings. I believe we achieve more when we work together.

By helping young people to work collaboratively by including group activities and peer-to-peer mentoring as part of my teaching practice, learners can develop effective skills in teamwork, communication, and cultural awareness, and build a positive, supportive classroom culture.

I understand that teachers also benefit from working collegially with peers, so I intend to share my ideas openly, and incorporate their pedagogical knowledge, skills and experience into my own teaching practice.

Career Overview

Cath brings a wealth of wisdom and experience to her teaching career from over 25 years as a design and marketing professional, business coach and entrepreneur.

She’s a life-long learner – curious about the latest developments in neuroscience and positive psychology, personal wellbeing, creativity and innovation, environmental and social responsibility, child development and education, and women’s empowerment.

Cath originally trained as a graphic designer, obtained an MBA from the University of Adelaide, and is now undertaking a Master of Applied Learning and Teaching at Deakin University. She is also a qualified Beautiful You Life Coach,

In her downtime, Cath loves communing with nature, sharing good food with plenty of laughs, reading, visiting galleries, listening to music, and hanging out with her chickens.