After touching the lives of Bamaga families for more than three decades, Vera Christian is preparing to say goodbye after making the decision to retire at the end of the school year. Photo: Supplied.
After 35 years of setting Bamaga kids up for success, Northern Peninsula Area State College’s (NPASC) longest-serving teacher is preparing to say goodbye as she heads for retirement at the end of the school year.
In a remote community that can often see teachers come and go, Vera Christian has become a beloved constant at NPASC’s Bamaga Junior Campus, seeing generations through early learning and primary education.
Ms Christian said she taught at schools across the Cape and Torres Strait for the first five years of her 40-year career, but never looked back after finding her place in Bamaga.
“Bamaga has become my home over the years. I’ve built a lot of relationships with the community and the children,” she said.
“That’s what made me stay longer, just to see the kids growing, because I’ve taught students, and now I’m teaching their children.
“Students have said, ‘Ms Vera, you were my teacher, thank you for being my teacher’, and it’s really good to see the children now play a leadership role in the community — it makes you proud.”
As an educator for the local Kindergarten, as well as primary students from prep to Year 3, she said building trust with families became a major advantage of working at the school long-term when it came to student engagement.
“I always put families first, because they are the first teachers. The families are how you build relationships and how you work with kids in the classroom,” Ms Christian said.
“It’s important to get parents to understand, especially in the kindy space, what kindy is about, what education is about, and make them feel welcome.
“Family engagement is really big, because if you don’t have that, you’re on your own.”
Looking back on her career, the veteran teacher said one highlight was when she was asked by the regional office to share her knowledge with remote early childhood educators across the state.
“I got the opportunity to go beyond the Torres Strait Islands and work in supporting kindergartens across the state, and it was about my experience on how I can be the best teacher in early childhood settings,” she said.
“I was able to share my knowledge and what I’ve done here at the school, because even though I’ve been here for 35 years, I’ve played different roles in the school, like being the learning support teacher, being in special ed, and running programs here for our tutors to support our kids.”
While Ms Christian was excited for the next chapter of her life, she said she would miss being a part of the children’s education every day.
“It gave me the privilege to witness their first discoveries and their first attempts on little things like writing their name,” she said.
“I move into retirement now, and I reflect on the pride, and the countless children whose lives I have touched, and it’s a reminder of why I chose this job.
“The laughter and the shared stories along the way have shaped not only the children, but also me as an educator and a leader.”
