I completed a Bachelor of Economics at Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia) and more recently a Master of International Education (International Baccalaureate) through Melbourne University. I really enjoy teaching! At one stage in my career I took some time out to work in the mining industry in Western Australia. However, I found that I really missed the social contact, the student rapport and how days as a teacher seem to be so varied – so I returned to the profession. One other (very rewarding) pause from my career in education was to take a year off work to be the primary carer for our youngest son when he was 2 years old.
I have mainly worked in independent schools and I am particularly drawn to IB schools. I also enjoy working with students outside of class, most recently in Japan to promote environmental initiatives after my student-led club won $100,000 in the Zayed Sustainability Prize. In Australia, I have worked in schools in a number of states. This ranges from time at a high achieving selective girl’s school in my nation’s capital through to an IB school in the tropical north with a 30% indigenous student population from remote ‘outback’ communities. I have also worked at an IB school in the United States and I come to Park Lane after 6 years in a 100% residential IB school in Japan. This campus was located at the base of an active volcano and surrounded by forest. This Japanese school recruits students from a vast variety of countries, religions and financial backgrounds – an experiment in tolerance, understanding and acceptance.
Outside of work, I love to be outdoors. This includes hiking, exploring by kayak and cycling. I also like to swim, trail run and play sports. Prague also gives me the opportunity for some more passive social and cultural pursuits in a wonderful setting. I am an avid reader of fiction and I also enjoy the creativity involved in writing lyrics and music for songs.