Meet Ally B

Kindergarten Teacher, NSW ​

What’s your favourite part about your job? My favourite part about my job is being able to influence little minds and watch them grow from tiny Kindergarteners when their bag is bigger than them to grown up young men and women ready for high school. Being on Kindergarten, having them excited to see me each morning is really heartwarming and reminds me that I have the best job in the world. 
Tell us the story behind the photo you submitted: The photo I submitted was taken not long after I’d just started teaching my first Kindergarten class of my own. I was very excited about an art lesson and later realised that small children and paint is a messy job! I went home that afternoon covered in paint and glitter but it was so worth seeing the kids smiling faces, using their imaginations to create their own masterpieces. The cleaner wasn’t super impressed with me that afternoon but that’s Kindergarten! 
How has COVID-19 impacted your job? Covid-19 has completely turned the dynamics of a primary school upside down. Luckily we are working with a generation with more efficient emerging technology skills so they have adapted better than we could have asked for so, as a teacher I am so grateful to the kids for taking this whole situation in their stride and getting on with it as best they can. It has tested me in multiple ways in terms of my skills with technology especially when communicating with Kindergarten, as well as taking onboard multiple people's mental health and wellbeing. As much as it has been a massive change I think it has really shown how well teachers can work together and lean on each other in such difficult times. 
What’s been your hack for staying positive during such a challenging time? Whenever I am ever going through a challenging time I try my best to focus on the now and just take things one step at a time. If I think ahead too far it becomes overwhelming and stressful. I have also started a nightly routine where I message my best friend to tell her the things I am grateful for and it really helps shift my perspective as there are certainly people going through worse. It has to rain in order to see a rainbow. It will get better and we will all be stronger.