Meet the Classroom Heroes of 2023

Congratulations to Classroom Heroes for 2023: Patrice Baird, Abby Davidson, and Rebecca Duggan. 

Did you know that research shows that people who feel valued are more likely to report better physical and mental health, as well as higher levels of engagement, satisfaction, and motivation, compared to those who don’t? 
 
It’s no secret that the education profession holds one of the highest rates of workplace burnout.
 
The Classroom Heroes Campaign was designed to bring more value to teachers across Australia while boosting overall well-being in the industry.
 
Each teacher is nominated by another member of their school community, which is revealed to them when they receive news of their award.
 
 
This year we had one of our previous Classroom Heroes, Larissa, draw and announce the winners of our 2023 campaign Live on our Instagram.
 
If you’re curious, you can watch that video here…

 

Introducing Classroom Hero Patrice Baird a Visual Arts Teacher at Emmanuel Catholic Primary School.

Patrice was nominated by her colleague Larissa Simonsen with this beautiful statement…

“Patrice is currently a Visual Arts teacher at Emmanuel. The children love her and the learning experiences she offers to them. She strives to make this learning area engaging and meaningful by offering students the opportunity to express themselves through a variety of creative mediums. My students have been particularly engaged in work around sustainability and environmental issues. Not only has the learning in Visual Arts enhanced students’ depth of understanding in our general classroom units but their passion and actions are authentically linked to the real world. It is so amazing to see learning spilling out into students’ real lives. Well done Patrice!”

When asked about her superpower in the classroom, Patrice shared this response with us…

With absolutely no intention of tooting my own horn, quite simply put, the superpower I bring to any classroom is just being me. My thoughts, actions, energy, abilities, and feelings are uniquely mine. Just as each and every individual student I’m fortunate to share space with enriches my time, I too can only hope I add value to their experience.”

 

Introducing Classroom Hero Abby Davidson a Teacher at Sacred Heart Cunnamulla.

Abby was nominated twice by teachers Ellie Charlton and Cara Haig with these beautiful statements…

“Abby always goes out of her way to create engaging and interesting learning tasks for her students and creates a caring and welcoming atmosphere for her students. ” – Ellie

“Abby has done an amazing job creating learning experiences for her 5/6 learners. She has developed strong relationships with her students and fostered a culture of learning in her classroom. ” – Cara

 


When asked about her superpower in the classroom, Abby shared this response with us…

“If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said my classroom superpower is knowing my students and being able to create lessons that target not only their interests but also their level of understanding. I would have said that I have the skill to rework lessons to magnify engagement, but events over the last few weeks have led me to reconsider my superpower. That is why, I believe my superpower is patience. Patience to deal with the term four effort slump. Patience gives the students time to grapple with new knowledge, even though the end-of-year countdown is getting louder. Patience to consistently manage behaviour, even though my class and I are all exhausted from a long year of learning, and the patience to be kind to myself after a hard day’s work.”

 

Stay tuned for more on our 2023 Classroom Heroes.