THE first time Sue Williams set foot in a classroom as a teacher she knew she was where she was meant to be.
That was more than 30 years ago at Zillmere North State School, on Brisbane’s northside, where she had her first “prac” placement as a teaching student putting into practice what she’d been learning at university.
“From that first prac, I knew that was the right place for me, where I needed to be and where I wanted to be – right from the beginning,” Sue said.
There was something about being with the students.
“You just see the world in a whole different way when you’re working with young people … and it’s just that they’re enriching your life and you know that in some way, some small way, you can help to enrich theirs,” she said.
“And I guess looking at it, if you’re planting the seed with them as well, you know not where things go but you just have a small part of their journey.
“So it was just being part of that (that was appealing) – the class, and I guess that community as well, where you’re working with other colleagues …
“It’s just wonderful being part of that sort of a team so I knew pretty much right from that first experience that, while there are challenges that go with it, it was right for me.”
But there was still something more that was calling her, and that was to teach in a Catholic school.
As Australia celebrates 200 years of Catholic Education, Sue is one of thousands of people who have dedicated their lives to teaching children in Catholic schools across the nation.
So dedicated was she that she was named the School Leader of the Year at The Catholic Leader’s Community Leader Awards 2019.
That was when she was APRE (assistant principal for religious education) at Holy Spirit Primary School, New Farm.
Since then she’s taken up the role of youth and student engagement officer with Catholic Mission in Queensland, at the start of last year.
Sue was a young woman when she set her heart on teaching.
“I know it’s a bit cliched, but I always wanted to work with children,” she said.
“I actually worked for a while (in other jobs) and travelled a little bit, and then I knew that was what I wanted to do and I made the decision then that I wanted to go back and do teaching, so I did.”
After graduating, it wasn’t long before she answered the call of Catholic Education.
“I actually started my teaching career in the state system (for my prac teaching experiences) before I came in to then working at Sacred Heart (Catholic Primary School), at Sandgate, and it was something I really wanted to do,” she said.
“I knew that, for me, with my own faith and my own faith journey and my own (Catholic) family background, it was something that I wanted to be a part of.
“I could see that it was important to be a part of it, and I was just very fortunate that that opportunity came up at Sacred Heart.
“To be a part of that faith community was wonderful.
“I was surrounded by amazing staff and teachers.
“But I think it was just something, that other dimension … it’s a bit hard to describe and to explain, but there was just something more about being part of that Catholic community that was important for me as a Catholic.”
Her 30 years with Brisbane Catholic Education has included 20 years in the classroom and 10 as an APRE.
During one of her years at Sacred Heart she was also teaching at St Kieran’s, Brighton.
She’s also worked at Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School, Hendra, and Holy Spirit, New Farm.
There’s no doubt about what’s given her most satisfaction as a teacher in a Catholic school.
“I just think every day is different in the classroom, (and) being part of the students’ lives and particularly part of their faith journey (is special),” Sue said.
“I’ve taught year levels where they’ve been part of sacramental programs, … even simple things like prayer in the morning with them, especially the little ones – (and) being part of those sort of celebrations (is wonderful) …
“… And the community where we can come together, and even those times when it’s been … it could’ve been a sad occasion but you just feel that whole warmth of that community, how people come together.
“So it’s just been a growth for me; it’s helped me in my journey as well, because I see everything as part of that journey …
“God’s got a plan for me; I know that and I guess, for me, I look back at those stages of my life and think, ‘Well, there was a plan there and there was a reason I was in that place at that time …’
“I certainly believe that.”
Sue believes her current role with Catholic Mission, still involved with Catholic schools, is part of God’s plan for her.
“… It was only fortuitous that I read something someone had given me, and it talked about Catholic Education being founded by missionaries, and I thought … ‘Oh, that fits perfectly (for me) …’,” she said.
“So the work I’m doing now with Catholic Mission beautifully dovetails into my (previous) roles as a teacher and an APRE in schools.”
Everything about her Catholic Mission job gives her great satisfaction.
“I think I’m one of those people that think, ‘How blessed have I been’,” she said.
“To be a teacher in a school, to work in our Catholic schools for so long and build wonderful relationships there and to have wonderful experiences there, and then to have the opportunity to work with Catholic Mission, is just … I feel so blessed that I’m able to do that.
“So there’s everything about this role that I really love, and it’s working with schools …”
She’s delighted to be able to still enjoy “all the things I love about teaching, being able to work with (Catholic) communities and support them when they need it”.
“It’s been a real blessing for me,” she said.
For a young person considering a career in Catholic Education, Sue said it was important for them to see it as “a journey”.
“And (they should see) that God has a plan for you in whatever this space is, (but) there are going to be challenges,” she said.
“And I know sometimes something will happen at school, whether it’s with a student or a parent or a colleague, and that can be confronting at times …
“It took me a long time to realise that often it’s (a matter of) you’ve just got to be empathetic to that person or the comment or whatever’s going on because it’s just about finding out what’s happening at times, so not to take things too personally …
“But also don’t be afraid to ask for advice.
“Talk to the people around you; there’s wonderful people that you’ve got to support you.
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
“… It’s a wonderful journey; it’s such a blessing …
“There is nothing more special than to see students … when they come along and you’re teaching them in Year One … and to see how they come into school and then what they’re like at the end of the year … (and) throughout their schooling …
“And then when they graduate, and it’s almost like your own child graduating sometimes …
“But also there’s the wonderful times when students come back to see you, and then students come back and they say they’re doing teaching.
“It mightn’t be anything to do with you but just to know that you might have a little part of that journey … It’s very rewarding …”
Sue said, for parents considering a Catholic education for their children, the charisms of schools could be important.
“That whole underlying message of the Jesus story is really important if that’s what they’re wanting for their children because, more than just values, there’s that whole story behind it,” she said.
“Lots of schools offer great values, and you have to think about, ‘Well, what’s different to the state school down the road; what makes it different?’
“And I think that whole Jesus story in the way that that’s lived in the community certainly, for parents, if that’s what they’re looking for, then that would be something to consider.”
For Catholic students, Sue said her advice would be to enjoy their school years, “that experience of being part of all those wonderful things that happen in a Catholic school, those opportunities to come together as a community, whether it’s for prayer or for some sort of a celebration”.
She said they should “look at the people around them – the teachers that they have, and how they’re living that story each day in the way that they are, and that they just take those very wonderful things from that experience and enact it”.
“It’s great to see them, the way that they can enact it,” she said.
“In my role, that’s what I’m seeing of students all the time, it’s the way that they want to do something.
“They want to be people of action, they have a real social conscience, and I think that can be nurtured beautifully.
“So it’s for students to live that message and be brave and stand up for what they believe …”
