Meet Melissa

My name is Melissa, and I have just graduated from Morling College with a Graduate Certificate in Education.

I am currently teaching Year 5 in a Middle School setting and I am also the Assistant Head of Middle School. My school is in a beautiful area in North Western Sydney. We have a wonderful team in our part of the school, teaching and supporting students from Year 5 to Year 8.

I decided to study at Morling College after having already completed post graduate study at two other Universities. I really wanted to undertake study in Education that had a foundational Christian worldview. I wanted to understand more fully some of the theoretical concepts in education from a Biblical perspective. I also wanted to align my critical thinking with research and literature that integrated my faith and my vocation.

Teaching, and leading my team at school is my “nine to five” job, as it is for most teachers, so attending face to face lectures wasn’t practical for me. Morling’s education courses allowed me to study fully online, and I really enjoyed the flexibility that online study provided. I enjoyed the responsibility to pace myself through each week of study and to continue with my ministry commitments in my local church in the evening, without having to attend face to face lectures.

I really enjoyed each of the units of study and applying what I was learning each Semester to my role at school. One of the units I studied was Quiet Leadership. ‘Quiet Leadership’ is an expression which has become increasingly used by theorists since coined by Joseph Badaracco in 2002. Quietness is usually a pre-requisite for paying careful attention to one’s own actions and is therefore linked to reflective and wise leadership. I loved the sound of the Quiet Leadership unit because I’m not normally known for my quietness!

The main two things I reflected on from Quiet Leadership were about how to be a leader with tenacity and how to consistently show others dignity and respect in all contexts. I continue to consider how to communicate well to staff: that they matter, that they are loved and that we genuinely know and care for them as people in our school community. This has been especially helpful in this time of COVID-19 when there have been many pressures on our teachers and staff. It has been a privilege to be a trusted leader who can care deeply for others at some of their most vulnerable times.

I am thankful for the support that was available from the lecturers whilst I completed my online studies at Morling College, and the opportunity to apply my learning to my role at school each day.

Have you been thinking about joining Bible College or applying to study a course in Counselling, Chaplaincy or Education with a Christian perspective? We know this is an important decision. If you would like us to pray for you, please let us know here. God will do the rest! :)