An Experience I Believe Is Impossible Not To Have An Impact
I began 2024 as a casual relief teacher in Melbourne, after wanting a change from my Melbourne teaching experience of 4 years. I was finding myself yearning for something new; a unique teaching experience mixed with a desire to connect more to the land and natural space somewhere different to the education world I knew.
Cue Footprints Placements! After lamenting over a variety of jobs, the role of a 1 Term contract at Titjikala School popped into my inbox. Impulsively, I emailed Georgie curiously asking about the role and promptly after a series of interviews, I accepted the job. The information I had: a small transition class in a community of 200 people, 2 other staff members and 130 kms from Alice Springs. With a turn around of about 10 days, my stomach was a mixed bag of nerves, doubt and complete excitement of the unknown.
But it felt as though the minute I began driving down the red dirt road that led to Titjikala, I fell in felt a curiosity begin to grow in my stomach. The bumpy red road, with warnings of not running over railway nails, the landscape that changes eclectically depending on where the sun is in the sky all drew me in as we drove closer and closer to Titjikala. I was so excited to reach the community, and my smile just grew as I slowly got to meet the Team Teachers from Titjikala community and of course, the beautiful students who attend the school.
It was a lesson in patience, kindness and trust as I began to get to know the students in my transition class. Slowly, as each day turned into a new week and the term rolled through, our class formed a little routine, had many laughs (also tears aha) through play based learning, reading, dress ups and science experiments. Each day these students reminded me that laughing can be the best resolution to a playground debacle, that running relay races can be the best way to start your morning and sometimes the best way to feel better after a rama (crazy) day is to run through the playground sprinkler and make mud pies. The students at Titjikala are part of a community that is connected, caring and inclusive, and I feel so privileged to have spent a term in this special community.
The community of Titjikala is also known for its donkey population. I didn’t realise how much my lexicon of knowledge around these creatures would grow over 10 weeks. After watching the wild donkeys herd past my house in groups of over 100 some nights and befriending (and also fearing) the town donkey Priscilla as she broke into the school bins and chased us around the school, the sounds of these creatures became to be like a reassuring sound that I was safe in my new little home.
Working remotely is a unique experience, but one I would recommend to absolutely any teacher. You’re thrown into a place that is worlds away from home, but the connection to country, people and to the work you do as a teacher here is an experience that I believe is impossible not to have an impact on how one grows as a teacher.
I am excited to see what the future holds for me in education in the Territory!
Liana Gangi- Remote Teacher
Placed by Footprint Placements in Central Australia
