Childhood dream to teach

For as long as she can remember, Abbey Hullick knew she would grow up to become a teacher.

So much so, that when the time came to her finishing high school and choosing a degree, she didn’t have a Plan B.

“I remember talking about it with mum and dad when I was leaving high school and they said there was nothing that was going to stop me from becoming a teacher,” Abbey said.

“I didn’t have anything else in my mind that I wanted to do.

“If teaching didn’t work out, I had nothing else.”

Thankfully, Abbey’s dreams came true after she was offered her first full-time teaching position at Southern Cross Catholic College in Scarborough at the beginning of the year.

“I teach Year 3 and I love it,” the 22-year-old said.

“It’s such a great atmosphere here at the school and I love my students – they are such a beautiful bunch of kids.”

Abbey loves that no two days are the same and the kids are always asking different questions.

“A normal day for me would be maths and religion in the morning, then English, reading, handwriting and spelling, followed by science, HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) and health,” she explained.

“But no two days are ever the same, even if the timetable looks the same.

“Every day, there are different lessons and the kids come up with a whole new bunch of different questions.

“I love seeing them learn something, and then come back the next day and ask loads more questions because they have thought about it overnight.

“I love seeing all their little minds socking up all the knowledge.”

What Abbey also finds rewarding is seeing the kids grow and develop, not only in their learning capabilities, but also with who they are becoming.

“When I first started here, the kids were eight, and now they are nine and developing these amazing personalities,” Abbey said.

“It’s really rewarding to see how much their confidence has grown, both in and out of the classroom.”

Prac a good stepping stone

Abbey attended Grace Lutheran College at Rothwell before studying a Bachelor of Education Primary at Australian Catholic University.

Throughout the course of her degree, Abbey did prac work at Southern Cross Catholic College, which she said helped prepare her for her first year on the job.

“I was here once-a-week last year and then did my final prac block at Southern Cross,” Abbey said.

“I got to see how the classroom changed from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, which as a prac student was really helpful.

“It meant that when I got my own position and my own classroom, I had a bit of an idea of what the actual school year looks like.”

Celebrating all teachers’ accomplishments

With World Teachers' Day being celebrated in Queensland today, Abbey said she was excited to celebrate with her colleagues.

“It will be a nice day at the school not just for me being appreciated and recognised, but for all the other staff as well because everyone does so much,” Abbey said.

Words of wisdom for aspiring teachers

For anyone who is thinking of a career in teaching, Abbey has some words of wisdom which could help you get the most out of your journey and career.

“My advice would be to immerse yourself in all the pracs that you do. If you get asked to do lots of different things, always say yes,” she said.

“Also, talk to as many teachers as you can and learn from their experiences.

“When you talk to someone who is passionate and loves their job, that just sparks something inside you.”