As a Teacher’s Aide at The BUSY School Ipswich campus, Fred’s own story has been the driving inspiration to give back to young people who have disengaged with their education. With memories of his own schooling experience as a new arrival in Australia, having no English skills and coupled with the stresses of arriving in a new country, it was Fred’s Teacher’s Aide who was instrumental in supporting his successful education and career pathway.
Up until the age of ten, Fred lived with his family in Uganda, near the Sudanese border where there was a lot of civil unrest. Although he had fond memories growing up as a child, particularly his schooling there and running through the Ugandan jungles with his friends, due to the close proximity of the combat zone, the family were unsafe where they were living. Sponsored by a local church, Fred’s family were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to come to Australia and forge a better life for their growing family.
Fred said of this time, “I came to Australia with my parents and a few of my siblings in 2006 on refugee visas, with the option to stay if everything works out. I am from Uganda originally and lived there for ten years of my life, going through some good and bad times.
“When I first arrived in Australia I couldn’t speak a drop of English and I wasn’t coping with the stresses of moving. I was very lucky to have a teacher’s aide in my class who was focused solely on me. She taught me a lot of very important lessons. Like in a way that made sense for me, one of my biggest goals is to be able to teach young people who think school isn’t for them and be able to support them in a way that makes sense to them.”
Now working as a teacher’s aide, at the Ipswich campus while completing a Certificate III in Learning Support, Fred is paying his experience forward, inspiring BUSY School students who may have otherwise slipped through the cracks. Fred’s ultimate goal is to continue working as a teacher’s aide while undertaking a university degree to then become a teacher.
“Even if you feel you can’t do something, there is usually an underlying reason as to why and maybe your way is just a bit different. Some people have predispositions to learn a certain way and being able to support that is probably my biggest motivator.
“There’s lots of good things about my role but the biggest one for me is seeing the students who have lost their belief in learning and being able to give that back to them. Hearing things like, ‘I’ve never passed an assignment’ or ‘I never thought I could do this!’ Just seeing the smile on their face when they’ve done something that they had convinced themselves they weren’t capable of doing. That’s a big one for me and I try to involve myself with the students a lot when it comes to assignment time because that’s what they avoid. A lot of times they fail because they are just too afraid to try.”
The BUSY School recognises that not all students learn the same way and because of this they can struggle with mainstream schooling which often has a one-size-fits-all approach. With smaller class sizes and a more personalised approach that takes into consideration different learning styles, students at The BUSY School are given the opportunity to thrive.
Fred agrees passionately with this, stating, “My best advice to students is to first explore what ways you learn best. Try not to put yourself in a pocket of ‘I’m not smart enough to be at school’ and instead explore the ways that you learn best. At The BUSY School we can give you the opportunity to learn the way that is best for you. The opportunity itself does not come often and as much work as The BUSY School does, there’s lots of people that are falling through the holes of the schooling system. If you’re given the opportunity, try not to waste it!”
Supported by teaching staff who are as passionate as he is, Fred is grateful for the team support and excited about his unfolding career path as an educator!
“The best thing about The BUSY School at Ipswich is the team. Everyone is giving feedback and encouraging people to try new things, to be creative. I feel like a school like The BUSY School, you can’t run it if you don’t have people who are willing and committed to do the hard yards. There are weeks when we are just constantly chasing students and it is easy to just give up and think, well, they don’t want to do it, it is what it is. But the moment they get there, we are onto them and make sure they accomplish something – and the teaching staff are just incredible there!”
The BUSY School is proud to have staff members like Fred on board, supporting young people to find their successful futures!
Fred is a Teacher’s Aide at The BUSY School Ipswich and is passionate about supporting young people to find their learning style and thrive at school.
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