Thriving in her Vocation: How Richelle’s Master of Educational Leadership is Shaping Future Generations.

Richelle’s vocation as a primary school teacher has been her passion for 30 years. She brings to her work a love of literature which is only matched by her care for her students as whole people. Teaching is work which takes a huge amount of selflessness alongside focussed effort to get the best educational outcomes for both the class and individual students. How do you stay refreshed for the long haul?

Firstly, it’s Richelle’s love for her vocation. Her dedication rings out as she talks about the students she works with 

“I love being able to influence and help them grow and learn things that they didn't know before. And I found more and more lately that that's more emotional than academic.  Behavioural sometimes. Helping them navigate life.”

That’s the kind of teacher that you remember isn’t it. The teacher who taught you the basics of not just reading, writing and arithmetic but also how to engage with your classmates and the world around you in a way that enabled you to thrive.

Secondly, Richelle is finding refreshment from her Masters of Educational Leadership at Morling College. She had started other Masters programs but had not been able to get momentum to keep studying. As a full time teacher and the sole income earner in her family it had to be worth the time and effort to continue. The light bulb went off when the Dean of Morling College’s Education faculty spoke at her school. It came down to one simple fact

“I'd spent a lot of time looking at different options. And when he said Morling, I went ohh. It's a Christian place to study instead of just anywhere.”

Richelle has found the refreshment she needs to help her think deeply about what it means to be a Christian teacher working in a Christian school. She wants to continue to improve her skills as an educator. The first steps towards this have been rediscovering herself as a learner.

Richelle hadn’t written in an academic form for many years but says that 

“Morling had a lot of really helpful resources on the site, so I spent a while watching webinars and practising and doing things before I started.”

There was plenty of support online as she re-entered education and rediscovered her ability to write academically. This led to another gain. Richelle’s learning has removed a block about reading more academic books.

She says “I really love being opened up to new ideas, so I always liked reading academic books, I suppose, but I didn't do it very much because it was hard.  So it was kind of like, oh, I have to be awake and I have to be in the right frame of mind to be able to do it, and now I've just been doing it.  I've got better at that. So I want to read.”

Richelle’s experience in the classroom is being matched with new learning to make her a true leader. 

“I feel like I am a better Christian teacher because of my studies so far, even though I have been teaching a long time. It's made me think about things in a fresh way.”

When asked how she wants to impact the world for Christ her response is quick. She says “I feel like I have a big impact where I am.” Wherever God calls her to serve she has also gained a new inspiration. The process of rediscovering herself as an academic writer has inspired her in a broader sense. Richelle wants to write for children – books that honour Christ – and can be used in the classroom for study. Morling has rekindled her as a learner which has given Richelle a new passion to use her skills and thrive.

Richelle notes that the Masters is a significant financial investment when living on one wage but says it’s ‘worth it.’  The scholarship has been important in supporting her choice to study at a Christian Educational Institution. It’s by supporting students, like Richelle, to express their leadership in the classroom and creativity in the world of literature that Morling is making a difference for the next generation.

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