When Ivy Yuan was a young girl, she remembers enjoying playing at being a teacher. While it was Journalism she elected to study when she moved to Melbourne in 2011, teaching would ultimately be her career.
Like many newcomers to Australia, her culture shock was intense. But she soon connected with her lecturers, made new friends, and completed her Master of Journalism in 2016.
While studying, she had picked up a part-time job teaching Chinese, which reminded her how much she enjoyed teaching. She decided to study a Master of Education.
Ivy graduated in mid-2019 and did casual relief teaching for the next six months—an experience that convinced her she wanted a permanent job as part of a team.
Securing a Chinese Language Teacher role at BSSC brought Ivy a supportive team and a permanent job she loved.
Her work in Bendigo has been predominantly with Maiden Gully and Eaglehawk primary schools, with the community language tutoring program run at BSSC on Monday evenings.
Asked about highlights of her time here, Ivy immediately names her colleagues.
“They have helped me grow both professionally and personally and I especially appreciated their support during the lockdowns,” she says. “I really love the students too. Interacting with them brings me so much joy.”
She says the team has been “important for inspiring creative ideas and deepening the cultural experience of students” and believes it is valuable for people to have a second language.
“Young children are opened to the wider world through language studies,” she says.
“Learning another language is good for your whole being. It is intellectually stimulating, builds interpersonal skills, fosters a more inclusive attitude towards others from different backgrounds, and brings compassion for those who are trying to learn your language.”
Ivy will move to Melbourne and take up a new position for 2024 teaching Chinese Language to students from Years 7 to 12.
She will need to get her head around a new curriculum, but is looking forward to the challenge—especially teaching Year 12.
BSSC wishes Ivy all the very best as she moves into this next phase of her life.
