Every day’s an adventure!
Duncraig Year 1 teacher, Andraea Egan has always wanted to be a teacher and we’re grateful that she is with us at St Stephen’s School, sharing her passion for teaching!
Andraea is originally from Dublin and has been in Australia since 2013.
“I have always wanted to teach. Even as I was studying, I worked in child centered industries, including childcare,” said Andraea.
“I received a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Hons) in Montessori Education in Dublin Ireland, before moving to London where I studied my Diploma of Education in Key Stage 1 and 2 in Primary Education.”
Andraea joined our Early Learning Centre in 2019, where no two days are the same!
“An average day at school can look different from week to week, with all the various exciting activities and events that happen at the ELC. From toasting marshmallows in Bush School to collecting data and creating graphs, every day is literally an adventure!” said Andraea.
“I am currently in Year 1 and absolutely love the journey that the students take over the year. It’s such a pivotal time for students as it’s a period marked by such growth. Seeing them grow into such independent learners who are excited to come into class each day and growing their self-confidence is so rewarding. It’s a beautiful age where students are so enthusiastic about all that they are learning.”
Precisely because this is an incredibly important stage in our little ones’ lives, the role is not without its challenges.
“It can be such a big shift from Pre-Primary to Year 1, so one of the biggest challenges is to manage the settling in period. Students can find the transition difficult, however once they have become used to the new routine of Year 1, they thrive and start to feel the joy that Year 1 can bring,” said Andraea.
Over the last 12 months, Andraea has also been working closely with AISWA on driving student learning outcomes.
“I’m passionate about inquiry learning and empowering the students in my class,” said Andraea.
“Children are naturally curious and have a sense of wonderment with the world around them. Inquiry provides students the opportunity to ask questions and investigate and act on areas of their interest.”
Andraea’s Year 1 class in 2023 began to research into local endangered living things and after much consideration and a class vote, the students decided that their animal of choice would be the numbat.
Students thought of the many ways to support the numbat, including spreading awareness about numbat conservation and the importance of good cat management through posters and books, creating art works to sell to raise money and holding a non-uniform day to involve the wider school community.
Andraea was rightly proud of the students in her class!
“The children did fantastic work throughout their project, effectively spreading the word by hanging their carefully created posters around the school. Their finished information texts were placed in our ELC library for other students to borrow and read. And the non-uniform day was well-supported by the school,” said Andraea.
The children’s art event was a huge success, with all art pieces successfully sold, raising $501.90 for Project Numbat.
“In giving them autonomy over the animal we chose to support, the students took so much ownership in our inquiry. They were so excited to see us acting on their suggested ideas and really felt that they were having an authentic impact on our local endangered wildlife.”
This project was then recorded and shared by AISWA and received a lot of local interest, including an extended feature on the Junior Landcare website.
This is just the beginning, though, according to Andraea!
“This year we are hoping to recreate the same success, so it will be very interesting to see where the children take us!!
“I honestly could not do any of this without the support of Sarah Mornement through Bush School, Robyn McLoughlin with Art and Library and my amazing Learning Assistant, Kristie Riley in class,” said Andraea. “They are all so supportive of anything I suggest!”
When she’s not at school, Andraea likes to make the most of the great WA coastline.
“I grew up by the sea in a quiet suburb in Dublin, so getting out and walking by the ocean is something I love to do. I also really enjoy baking and consider myself semi crafty!!
We look forward to what this year’s 1E class decide to do! Stay tuned on our Facebook page for updates!