Best Foot Forward

Over the past thirteen years, Sharon Johnston has championed sport and physical activity in the Junior School, been a mentor to her colleagues, and been part of school-wide decision-making as a member of the Queenwood Executive Team.

Why did you decide to become a PDHPE teacher?

I moved from a rural Primary School in Victoria that had two classrooms and two teachers to a High School that had 900+ students and specialist teachers. My PE teacher was inspirational, introducing me to cross country running and formal sport lessons. I decided that if, as a teacher, I could have half the impact she had on me I would have a fulfilling career.

I started my teaching career as a High School teacher and continued for the next decade. After having children and living abroad, an opportunity to teach PE to a preschool to Year 12 cohort at Yokohama International School (YIS) was offered, and I knew after a day in the primary section that this was where I wanted to be. It was not unusual to be teaching 3 year olds in the Early Learning Centre, followed by a Year 12 recreational sport lesson. You can guess which class was the most demanding... it wasn’t the 3 year olds!

What was your first teaching job when you finished University?

I taught at Wellington Secondary College in Mulgrave, Victoria. Several of my students were refugees after fleeing Cambodia and Vietnam. One told how he had escaped his country by boat and that not all on board made it to the Australian coast. The tales of how he and others struggled to get from Northern Australia to Victoria, find a home and community to feel safe in and then embark on a new life without their parents to guide them were truly incredible. He taught me more in my first year of teaching than I could ever hope to teach him in a lifetime!

You have taught all over Australia, and the world! In what ways did this benefit your teaching practice?

Our family has been fortunate to experience living overseas following my husband’s career. With each relocation it was important for me to settle our family and build connections within the community –so being part of a school was a natural fit. I had the hidden tag of ‘PE maternity cover specialist’ which usually meant anywhere from 3 – 8 months of taking on someone else’s workload and often the pressure of having to write reports having taught a group for 4 – 6 weeks.

I quickly learnt how to make the most of every teaching minute, make meaningful observations, provide essential feedback and keep records. The art of learning student names and finding memorable moments for each was essential in building teacher-student trust. Looking back it is easy to recognise the richness of the diverse experiences in not only living and raising a family abroad but also being able to work. The exposure to different curriculums and rich learning environments was made all the more special by having colleagues with diverse teaching and life experiences as well as students from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Having relocated several times I would like to think that I have acquired an increased capacity for and an appetite to embrace change. When new students and families arrive and seek to settle into life at Queenwood I feel a strong empathy with the challenges they face having navigated many similar obstacles myself. I have always had a strong sense of the need for inclusiveness and kindness towards others. My appreciation for diversity and inclusion was profoundly deepened when I was completing a project within an EASL course (English as a Second Language). A Kindy student of Vietnamese origin adopted by a French family read fluently to me in French and was starting to come to terms with learning English. All this while living in Japan!

Seeing my own children thrive in international schools and the skill of their teachers, it was apparent how incredibly rewarding a teaching career can be. I realised too, that children are incredibly adaptable and, given the appropriate support, are capable of achieving way beyond what you and I imagine. My teaching philosophy was crystalised for me during our time abroad. As a teacher, my challenge and responsibility remains to help each child realise her strengths, develop confidence and help her discover just how capable she is.

When you settled back in Australia, you started at Queenwood. What stands out to you from the first few years of teaching here?

My first interview was with the former Director of Sport, Jane Lilycrop, for a position as a sports coach. I couldn’t believe she wanted me to work at Rawson Oval! I am still excited about spending time in such a beautiful location with bushland and amazing views of the harbour whilst teaching girls at sport. From the moment I entered the building, the Junior School felt like a large family and I knew that this was a place I wanted to be part of. The quirky traditions are part of the intrinsic fabric of the school; from those little red shoes, to celebrating the School’s Birthday and having pink cupcakes – only Queenwood could pull this off.

Why do you think it’s so important to encourage young people to be active?

Being active has many well documented health benefits; maintaining a healthy weight, having a base level of fitness that enables your body to work efficiently, keeping you well both physically and mentally, having energy to get through the day and give your best. Being active allows a sense of freedom that allows your mind and body to explore the environment around you and often involves spending time with others outdoors. Perhaps most importantly, being active is often associated with being with friends and having fun.

In your Executive Role, you have championed the message of Kindness in the Junior School –tell us about some of the initiatives you’ve taken part in and the impact this has had on the girls?

In addition to the buddy system which involves Kindergarten and Years 1, 5 & 6, we recognised a need to further develop student connections across all year levels. Research suggests that in addition to friendships in a cohort, expanding the network to other year groups is beneficial. Using the existing House System, a set of vertical clusters were created. The emphasis with the House Clusters is to create opportunities for all Year 6 students to be leaders, to be a significant older student for the younger girls. In 2019 we held several cluster activities to build connections; lunches, shared reading, confetti kindness messages and cluster groupings at our major carnivals. The older girls thrived on these opportunities and the younger girls idolised their older role models. These connections extended beyond the formal cluster times to interactions during break times.

If you had to pick only one sport to play, to watch and to coach for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

This is an easy one and it is no secret that my first sporting love is hockey. My High School PE teacher introduced me to this game and I was hooked from the first session. Representative playing and coaching opportunities enabled me to travel within Australia and overseas, and opened my eyes as to what might be possible beyond rural life. Coaching has been a large part of my sport involvement for over 40 years, I get a great deal of satisfaction in bringing a group together to be the best they can be as a collective and individually.

Interestingly I was keen on cricket as a youngster, but there were no pathways for girls teams back then. Who would have thought that cricket would become a high profile Australian sport with television coverage!

Finally, what is your favourite book to read?

Good question and I can’t narrow this down to one. I have discovered through Just Read that the author Chris Hammer is a favourite. His novels, The Scrublands and Silver are two of my most memorable reads over the past year. •