Mrs Michelle Waddingham decided to become a teacher from the very young age of six, and it is obvious to her students that her passion has not wavered. Mrs Waddingham talks about her experience at Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School as well as her love for teaching.

I grew up in Dampier, in the Pilbara region of WA. It was a wonderful place to live, with a small, close knit community. I have a very early memory of playing with Red Dog on the beach. I decided that I was going to become a teacher when I was six years old and in Year 1 at Dampier Primary School. I adored my Year 1 teacher and wanted to be just like her. I never changed my mind, studying teaching straight after graduating from high school.

I joined BCGS in 1999, after a few years teaching in the state system. I loved working here right from the start. The Primary School looked a little different back then. There was no Primary Hall, Irene Bourne Centre, Year 5 block or Eric Speed Centre. I taught in the Primary School until mid-2005, when my first child was born. Some highlights from those early years were my class throwing me a surprise engagement party, mummifying a chicken for our study of ancient Egypt, learning to ski on the Canberra Trip, the Primary choir singing at my wedding and running my first Cross Country, where I was thoroughly beaten by a number of Year 2 students!

After several lovely years at home with my children, I re-joined the School community as a parent when my eldest child started Kindergarten in 2009. All three of my children now attend the School. I came back as a staff member to teach Year 4 in 2014 and now I am back in Year 6.

In my years at BCGS, I have fulfilled a number of roles. I have been a relief teacher, a classroom teacher, the Primary Sports Co-ordinator, Lead Teacher in Science Education, Acting Deputy – Pastoral on two occasions, Deputy – Teaching and Learning and, for one terrifying week early in my BCGS journey, the Acting Head of Primary.

Some of the best things about our School are the fantastic students I get to spend my days with and the colleagues I am lucky enough to work alongside. I also love the opportunities our students are offered, such as the wide variety of camps, academic challenges, extensions and the arts program. I have been assisting with the Primary Production for a number of years and it is one of my favourite events. You get to see a different side to students when they are performing and the confidence and joy that production creates is wonderful to witness.

My favourite subjects to teach are Science and Mathematics. I like the practical nature of Science and helping students learn through real world experiences. I enjoy teaching new math concepts and seeing the development of mathematical skill in my students. Although I have a lot of experience teaching extension classes, I also find great professional reward in my passion for assisting students who experience academic difficulties. In my first year at BCGS, I taught a student with significant learning difficulties. At the end of the year, he wrote me a list titled, “Five Things I Like About the Teacher”. All these years later, a copy of his list still sits on my fridge. To me, the essence of being a teacher is summed up in one of his five things, “She always makes me believe in myself when I didn’t used to.”