Our first Beginning Teacher Conference of the year has been given a resounding thumbs-up by attendees, with early career members learning valuable insights that will help them throughout their working lives.
Fifty new teachers attended the conference at Teachers Federation House in Surry Hills on Saturday, hearing from Federation officers and experienced educators on everything from Federation’s current campaigns to how to manage a classroom of students.
Run several times a year across the state, Federation’s Beginning Teacher Conferences are aimed at members who are in their first few years of teaching. They cover a wide range of topics new teachers should know about, including pay and conditions, tips on managing a classroom, advice on gaining and maintaining proficient teacher accreditation and Aboriginal education.
Feedback from the day was overwhelmingly positive:
- “It answered so many of my questions and I found it to be an overly supportive environment.”
- “Incredibly detailed — [it] answered so many questions. This made me feel so much more confident to reach out when needed.”
- “This course was honestly incredible! Extremely informative, relatable and relevant. I am honestly mind-blown with how much I didn’t know.”
- “As a beginner teacher I feel so lucky to have my school Fed Rep encourage me to come today as I feel very empowered and supported.”
- “Every core aspect of beginning teaching was covered in today’s conference. I wish I had attended in my first year of teaching.”
- “It covered important information that beginner teachers should be aware of. I will be joining future events to empower myself — I’ll invite my friends too!”
- “I was glad to hear about working and pay conditions and how much Federation is responsible for—– it made me realise things that I do well and can improve on in my practice.”
- “This course was great and very informative. I didn’t know much about Federation and this course was super helpful!”
- “The information provided throughout the day struck the perfect balance between Federation-specific and more general. It was well-tailored to me as a new Federation member and beginner teacher.”
Three more Beginning Teacher Conferences are scheduled for this year, in Newcastle, Dubbo and Bundanoon.
Federation arranges and pays for accommodation and travel for eligible members.
Sign up for a Beginning Teacher Conference or get more information about courses Federation offers on Federation’s website.