Teacher sees long-term career in remote education

Wiluna Remote Community School graduate teacher Adam Clarke has been honoured for excellence in education for his achievement as a student at Curtin University.

At the university’s School of Education 2018 Awards Night earlier this month, Mr Clarke was handed the Miles Medal Award, recognising his excellence in overall academic performance.

He also won the Western Australian Secondary School Executives Association Award for demonstrating the highest level of academic performance and teaching competency.

Three school terms into his teaching life, Mr Clarke said he had fallen love with remote education.

“I just love working in Wiluna, (principal) Adriano Truscott has been a fantastic mentor for me, and my professional growth has just exponentially increased since being in Wiluna thanks to his stewardship,” he said. “Remote education is something which I see being a long-term career for me.

“I think it is the integrated program that is run at lots of remote department schools, there is a lot of on-country learning and two-way learning where we bring in traditional knowledge into classrooms. Also using Martu indigenous language to teach standard Australian English — the students come alive when we use their own language and ways of learning.”

Originally from Perth, Mr Clarke said receiving the awards was a humbling experience.

“It is a culmination of a huge amount of support from people that have got me to the position I am in now, mentor teachers, families, staff at Curtin — it has been a group effort,” he said.

Former Goldfields Baptist College teacher Megan Kenny was presented with the WA Association of Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages Award and John Paul College Zara Kolatowicz won with The Australian College of Education Award.