By Theresia Titus
Jennifer Lindsay, Religious Education teacher for Secondary students at Newman College will soon bid her farewell to the College and its students in July this year.
After more than 40 years of teaching, Mrs Lindsay has finally retired from her beloved career.
“I am currently in my 43rd year as a teacher within the Catholic Education system in WA, from 1976 to 1978 inclusive and then 1980 until now,” she said.
“I have enjoyed the journey immensely and am still in touch with students from throughout that period. If I had to sum it up in one word – it was fun! If learning is fun, then students will learn well.”
Speaking to The Record, Mrs Lindsay knew she wanted to be a teacher when she began Primary School education at St Dominic’s School in Innaloo.
“It was my number one ambition. I did my apprenticeship with my little sister and brother and all our dolls and teddy bears, using a large blackboard, which my father made for me,” she said.
“During my time in high school at [then] Siena, Dominican Girls’ High School, I decided that not only did I want to be a high school teacher, but that I wanted to return to my old school to pass on the tradition and to provide the kind of educational experience which I had enjoyed as a student.”
She began teaching in 1976 when she was employed at Dominican Girls’ High School before it began its amalgamation with Marist College in Churchlands and Brigidine College in Floreat in 1977.
She continued to teach at Newman Sienna College until the end of 1978, resumed in September 1980 after the birth of her daughter and has been there ever since.
“My journey has been joyful, exciting, fulfilling and enriched by change and progress over four decades. I began working with Dominican sisters and ended up working with Marist Brothers; from a small, all-girls’ school in the 1970s to a large and vibrant co-ed College in the 21st Century,” Mrs Lindsay said.
“I went from using a chalkboard and Gestetner machine to a whiteboard and laptops. I have enjoyed it all, and it has been a privileged to work with caring and professional colleagues and two generations of wonderful Western Australian teenagers.”
Mrs Lindsay mentioned many of her current and former colleagues during her years of teaching are her former and current students.
“The Dominican Sisters with whom I worked, along with the Marist Brothers as well, created an environment, which allowed us to feel we were part of a family. This sense of belonging is a large part of what has kept me working at Newman College all this time
“Many former students have returned to teach here and many others have sent their own children to Newman, so this family tradition continues,” she added.
Graduating with a double major in Business and Drama education, Mrs Lindsay has taught Speech and Drama, Stenography – Pitman’s Shorthand and Typewriting, Commerce and book-keeping, Social Studies and Religious Education.
“For me, the most significant things experienced involved the changes within our college system, [which was] the move to co-education with the introduction of the boys to our Doubleview campus in 1983, followed by our move to one campus at Churchlands in 2005,” she said.
“Aside from my classroom teaching, I have very fond memories of the many theatrical productions I was involved with as a Drama teacher.
“I also have special memories of facilitating our Year 12 Retreats…over many years [as] this was a time of reflection and renewal for both students and the teachers who attended.
“There were many intense moments but seeing the spiritual growth which occurred cannot be compared to anything else in my career,” she continued.
Last year Mrs Lindsay received the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Marist Education Award’ for her service to the College and particularly, her contribution to Social Justice by making Christmas hampers for the Vinnies since 1992, being involved with their winter appeal and later forming a Social Justice group in 2006, which enabled students to be involved in a variety of other projects.
“Young people need opportunities to nurture their own goodness and working to help the poor and marginalised provided many opportunities,” she said.
“I was absolutely delighted and felt very honoured to be considered and humbled to be chosen. I travelled to Melbourne with my mother and sister, to attend the dinner and receive this award.”
Through her teaching career, she has learnt that “students can rise to the level of the teacher’s realistic expectations, with regard to behaviour, as well as academic achievement, when they know they are genuinely cared about” and “teaching is all about preparing students for life beyond the classroom, through developing every aspect of the person they are”.
“Classrooms are in fact, smaller versions of the real world, where students have to follow rules, take up a challenge, learn to collaborate with others, produce work, or create a solution to meet their challenge and then enjoy the satisfaction or elation which comes from success, or learn how to improve, all the time taking instructions from a person in authority.
“My wish for everyone in the Newman community is that their Newman journey is as joyful and rewarding as mine has been for over four decades,” she concluded.