A Learning Journey

One of the best things about working in education is that you are not only supporting children and young people to develop and grow, but your own professional learning is also central to their outcomes. The vast array of learning opportunities for educators is incredibly exciting but can also be overwhelming. This is the position I now find myself when researching PL opportunities for 2013 as the Secondary winner of the 2012 SA Inspiring Teaching Awards.

As an introduction, my name is Louka Parry and I've spent the last four years teaching in a remote Indigenous school in the far Northwest of South Australia. It has been an amazing four years and I have learnt so much from working with Anangu, developing an understanding of language and culture, as well as how we can better support young people in Mimili to access a positive social and economic future. I am passionate about improving outcomes for Anangu students and feel that having engaging and inspiring teachers on the APY Lands is one of the best ways to overcome the layers of disadvantage.

Today I, along with all of this year's winners, are attending an information session at DECD central office on possibilities for 2013 and have just heard from Kirsty Gebert, the secondary winner from 2011.

I'm also very excited to be moving into the Principal role at Mimili Anangu School next year and feel that developing my capacity in that role will help create a supportive culture with effective and motivated staff.

Being an educator is a challenging yet immensely rewarding profession, at least this is my opinion as a beginning teacher and leader. I look forward to learning from others and sharing this learning journey.