They may have come from different worlds, but student teachers Alana Gures and Lara Tribel share a passion for education in remote communities. Photo: Supplied.
Two student teachers who chose to do their placements in Bamaga say they have fallen in love with the remote Northern Peninsula Area school and community.
This year, Australian Catholic University (ACU), the country’s largest provider of teachers, has broken records for the number of students doing teaching placements in rural, regional and remote schools.
ACU Queensland head of school Associate Professor Tracey Sanders said it was the first time students had been sent to Cape York, adding there had been a 42 per cent increase in students opting to head to Far North Queensland since last year.
“We only had one or two students putting their hands up to go north in the last couple of years, and now we’ve got 17 who are either up there or going to go up there, so there’s definitely been a big surge,” she said.
“[This year], we’ve had a very deliberate what we call ‘disruption push’, where students who might otherwise have just gone to metropolitan schools are now going all over Queensland, and particularly Far North Queensland.
“The exciting thing is they’re going up there and they’re loving it, but also staying there; our students are not just going there for placement, but they’re also deciding to stay when they graduate and be teachers in these areas.”
Two of the 17 students who chose to venture north were Lara Tribel and Alana Gures, who are placed at Northern Peninsula Area State College until the end of July.
After a placement experience in the Solomon Islands, both students said they were eager for more opportunities to teach in remote settings.
“We wanted to work on Country and really connect with the culture within Australia in a rural town,” Ms Tribel said.
“I’ve really wanted to learn from people on the land to grow myself as a teacher with my pedagogy, and be able to drive those relationship-first incentives within schools.”
Growing up in a tiny town just outside of Gympie, Ms Tribel said education in rural and remote communities had always been close to her heart.
For Ms Gures, her experience in the Solomon Islands solidified her passion for teaching in lesser-known settings.
“I’ve always grown up in very populated city areas, I live just outside of Brisbane,” Ms Gures explained.
“After the Solomon Islands, I really pushed for my third [placement] to be in a remote community, and I chose Bamaga because of the strong sense of community.
“I’ve been loving it; it’s such an invaluable experience that’s hard to describe.”
The students said they had learned so much already and would be back in the future.
“For my next [placement], I’m allowed to do it in a primary setting and I’ve already started thinking about how do I go about asking ACU to come back up here for my primary one,” Ms Tribel said.
Student teachers Lara Tribel and Alana Gures say they have fallen in love with Bamaga during their teaching placement. Photo: Supplied.
