60 seconds with... Mr Scott Gregory

MR SCOTT GREGORY

Year 3 Teacher

Where did you start teaching?

I’m a recent addition to the teaching profession, so I actually started my teaching career here at PLC Sydney just a few years ago, unless you include the countless hours with my girls while I was a stay at home dad of course!

Have you always been a teacher or have you had other careers before teaching?

No, I haven’t always been a teacher. I spent a long time working in Accounting and Banking, mainly in roles with a bit of a technology flavour to them. I was one of those kids that didn’t know what I wanted to do after high school, so I went in the direction that my HSC marks led me. It wasn’t until I started my teaching degree that I knew I’d found what I was really meant to be doing.

What led you to a career in education?

During my time as a stay at home dad, I was a regular volunteer at my daughters’ schools, doing all of the usual parent stuff, like ice block days and athletics carnivals, but I also spent a lot of time in the classroom, helping with reading, art and PE. I always loved working with the kids, so I decided it was time to get in and start my Masters of Teaching!

What has been your greatest challenge in the classroom?

There’s been quite a few, but the greatest challenge is probably the one that took us all out of the classroom! A global pandemic during your first few years of teaching is a real baptism of fire! It was such a tough time for the girls and I think as a teacher you can’t help but worry about your students. Trying to help support and guide them from a distance throughout that time was definitely tricky.

What do you enjoy most about being involved in education?

I absolutely love the impact that you can have on your students’ lives. Primary school is such a formative time for our girls, and to be one of the people that gets to help them discover Primary school is such a formative time for our girls, and to be one of the people that gets to help them discover the world and how they fit into it is a real privilege.

the world and how they fit into it is a real privilege. Not many jobs offer the sheer joy involved in being a primary school teacher either. There’s always so much laughter and excitement in the classroom that you can’t help but feel energised by it.

What do you find most rewarding about teaching?

Watching the girls grow during your time with them is so wonderful and it’s extremely rewarding to think that you’ve played even a small part in that. The girls are completely different people by the end of the school year and one of my favourite times of the year is looking back over our time together and seeing just how much they’ve changed.

Do you have a most memorable career point to date?

It’s all been memorable! I’ve been able to teach at a fantastic school with like-minded teachers who have been incredibly supportive of my development. My classes have been full of lovely girls who are always so excited about learning and I’ve had enthusiastic parent groups who have been extremely encouraging of their girls and keen to work together to see them succeed.

Who has been your greatest influence?

I’d have to say my Dad has probably had the biggest influence on me in terms of my approach to life. He was a tireless worker, who always made time for everybody and I’d like to think I’ve inherited a little bit of that.

What is your motto in life?

As clichéd as it is, I think that finding the things that you love doing is really important and if you haven’t, you shouldn’t be afraid to do something about it!

Do you have any interests/hobbies?

I love basketball and spend a lot of my time around the game. I’m a big Golden State Warriors fan, so I watch most of their games. I'm one of the coaches for my daughter’s rep team and I still play a couple of times a week (not particularly well – bad knees). I’ve always listened to a lot of music and there aren't many times when I don’t have something playing. I like a lot of pop culture as well, and so many of the recent movies and tv shows, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stranger Things and Game of Thrones all feel like they were practically made for me!