By JONATHON HOWARD
CAPTIONS: (Total Ed1) – Amelia Koussary as the acting principal.
(Total Ed 2) – Alyvia Greene-Galloway reads to Grade 2 student Lyla Kost.
(Total Ed 3) – Alyvia Greene-Galloway and Finn Stubbings with Grade 5 students Ryan Pike and Jack McLucas.
YEAR 9 students from the School of Total Education (SOTE) turned the tables on their teachers last Tuesday and ran classes for the day.
The move was part of an active program in developing leadership skills, according to the school’s principal Shane Power.
Mr Power said the students spent time planning activities and meeting with the students to guarantee a day to remember.
Not only did students run classes from primary to Grade 7, they also manned the administration and two students also took over the principal’s duties, which included writing a principal’s blog, arranging a working bee and dealing with the odd disciplinary issue from their staff of Year 9 teachers.
“Dealing with the unexpected and being able to think on their feet were two of the things which most students learned on the day,” home group teacher Judy Funder said.
Students Amelia Kousary and Ceilidh Bishop who tackled a lively Grade 7 class added, “we learned the value of respect. We tried to be democratic but resorted to being firm but kind.”
Other students were surprised and delighted by the attention their classes gave them.
Student Jess Lu who took a Grade 4 class and completed a beautiful class book, commented that her students were well behaved and fully absorbed in their activities all day.
The Grade 3 class also got very busy making wattle and daub huts with their teacher Jorge Muehlebach who had very successfully planned a most engaging and successful hands-on history lesson.
Manning the lunch tables was also part of the job, with students serving out the hot lunch to the juniors.
“We didn’t have much time to eat our own meals,” commented Sean Gordon who was leading a Grade 1 class.
Mr Power said all students finished the day very satisfied, with a much better knowledge of the challenges facing their teachers.
“With character development as a key component of the SOTE school philosophy, this day certainly enabled students to develop responsibility and contribute positively to the whole school community,” he said.
