In this episode, all gloves are off as Shannon, a primary-trained teacher, and Siobhan, a secondary-trained teacher, go head-to-head in the great debate of primary versus secondary teaching.

For listeners who are yet to enter the classroom, Shannon takes you through a day in the life of a primary teacher (and in her case, impromptu dance teacher) and Siobhan will let you jump into the shoes of a secondary English/society and culture teacher. 

For those with leadership in their sights, they also cover the difference in leadership roles in primary and high school contexts.

Finally, Shannon and Siobhan share their closing arguments for primary versus secondary teaching. From making Shakespeare relevant to teenagers today, to helping little ones make connections in the classroom to the real world (and, as a side perk, feeling like Angelina Jolie on the red carpet everytime you walk into your Kindergarten classroom), this is one showdown you’re not going to want to miss.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

We acknowledge that this episode of the Teach NSW Podcast was recorded on the homelands of the Darug people. We pay respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening to the Teach NSW Podcast today. 

Resources and useful links

• Secondary teachers - learn more about the types of secondary teachers, roles and responsibilities and qualifications required.
• Primary teachers - learn more about the roles and responsibilities and qualifications required.
• Teaching service rates of pay - find out the rates of pay for teaching service employees in classroom and leadership positions.
• Teacher allowances - find out the current rates for allowances payable to eligible teaching service employees including year advisor and supervisor of female students allowances.

Connect with us
If you would like to provide feedback or suggestions for future episodes, please contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Teach NSW Podcast team. Follow the Teach NSW team on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter) and YouTube to be the first to know when new episodes are released.

In this episode we speak to Eddie Woo, mathematics expert, self-confessed geek and educational leader with the NSW Department of Education. Famous in teaching circles and beyond, Eddie has over one million YouTube subscribers to his channel @misterwootube. He currently splits his time between providing curriculum support for the mathematics team within the department and teaching at a NSW public school on Darug land.

Despite his attraction to all things mathematics and logic, Eddie is the first to admit there was no strategic 5 or 10-year plan for his teaching career trajectory. Instead, he’s been driven by two main forces: firstly, the problems he’s encountered, and secondly, saying yes to opportunities that have presented themselves.

To give evidence to the first, 12 years ago, Eddie was teaching a student who was unable to attend school regularly due to illness. It was in his quest to find an engaging way to help that student keep up with his learning beyond textbooks, that @misterwootube was born. 

Eddie shares his progression into school leadership and answers some hard-hitting questions from our co-hosts - how do you keep the passion for a subject area alive after many years of teaching? And, what has most surprised you about a career in teaching?

You’ll also hear his perspective on teaching a specific subject area and how it can be most impactful when it’s student-led. 

Mostly in this episode, you will fall in love with Eddie’s passion for teaching and commitment to lifelong learning. For Eddie, teaching is so much more than love for your subject, it's about bringing in the world around us and making those connections to the syllabus in a way that’s meaningful for students.

We hope you enjoy this episode (as much as Eddie loves Pythagoras' theorem).

We acknowledge that this episode of the Teach NSW Podcast was recorded on the homelands of the Darug people. We pay respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening to the Teach NSW Podcast today. 

Connect with us

If you would like to provide feedback or suggestions for future episodes, please contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Teach NSW Podcast team. Follow the Teach NSW team on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter) and YouTube to be the first to know when new episodes are released.

Are you a pre-service or beginning teacher, finding your feet in the classroom? You’re going to want to tune in.

In this episode, we speak to pre-service teacher, Inara, who is in her final year of a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education (Secondary) at the University of Sydney, specialising in modern history and business studies. 

We first met (fan-girled over) Inara at a Future Teachers Club (FTC) conference and were inspired by her passion for teaching. More on the FTC later.

For someone so committed to her career path, Inara didn’t always know she wanted to be a teacher. In fact, in primary and early high school, she struggled with reading and writing. It was her own teachers that changed the course of her life and shaped her teaching philosophy.

But what really guided and supported Inara’s journey into teaching has been the FTC. This club was started at Macquarie Fields High School by the principal at the time, Jan Dolstra, and geography teacher, Perry Celestino.

What is the FTC you ask? It’s a club for students from Year 9 to 12 that aims to introduce teaching as a profession to students who are still at school. Members become familiarised with concepts of lesson planning and review, have a chance to teach micro lessons and go on excursions to universities and various school environments in metro, regional and rural NSW. For Inara, it meant starting her teaching degree at university with a lot of practical experience already in her back pocket. 

Inara draws on her experiences in the FTC, sharing advice for how students can best prepare for a practicum, the importance of being intentional and genuine in your teaching persona and the pitfalls of perfectionism.

Other topics future teachers will not want to miss: tips for building rapport with your students (hint: a game of dodgeball goes a long way), using intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivators in the classroom and the important concepts of reflection and finding your ‘teacher voice’.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

We acknowledge that this episode of the Teach NSW Podcast was recorded on the homelands of the Darug people. We pay respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening to the Teach NSW Podcast today. 

Connect with us

If you would like to provide feedback or suggestions for future episodes, please contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Teach NSW Podcast team. Follow the Teach NSW team on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter) and YouTube to be the first to know when new episodes are released.

The microphones are on and the cameras are rolling.

Tune in to Episode 1 of the Teach NSW Podcast to meet our dynamic teacher co-hosts, Shannon and Siobhan, as they share their own teaching journeys.

Shannon is a primary school teacher with experience teaching high-potential and gifted students, who loves nothing more than design thinking and project-based learning. Siobhan brings the perspective of a high school teacher, trained in English and society and culture, and just wait until you hear her Sonic birthday story. Queue tears.

Most importantly in this episode, you will find out more about the ‘why’ behind the Teach NSW Podcast.

The podcast was designed to inspire listeners with stories of daily difference making in NSW public schools. If you’re a future teacher considering a career in teaching, a pre-service teacher studying an initial teacher education degree or an early career teacher still finding your feet in the classroom, this podcast is for you.

We spill the tea on some of the topics and exceptional guests coming up in Season 1, spanning from pre-service teachers to those with over 20-years’ experience. 

This season, we explore themes including support for beginning teachers, accreditation processes, classroom management, mentorship, career-enhancing opportunities and much more.

Will we go beyond lesson and curriculum planning to talk about the heart of teaching, making genuine connections with students? Yes.

Will it feel like a friendly lunch time chat with your colleagues in the staffroom? Absolutely.

We hope you’ll enjoy coming on this journey with us.

We acknowledge that this episode of the Teach NSW Podcast was recorded on the homelands of the Darug people. We pay respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening to the Teach NSW Podcast today. 

Connect with us

If you would like to provide feedback or suggestions for future episodes, please contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Teach NSW Podcast team. Follow the Teach NSW team on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter) and YouTube to be the first to know when new episodes are released.