By Leigh Dawson
The saying ‘everything that comes in threes is perfect’ definitely rings true for three members of the Thomson family who graduated with degrees in Education from The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Fremantle Campus on Wednesday, 10 December 2014.
Clare Thomson, Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood), and Gemma Thomson, Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary), graduated alongside their mother Natalia Thomson, Master of Education (Leadership and Management), at the ceremony in front of their fellow classmates, friends and family.
Next year, Clare will commence a position as a Year 1 teacher at St Jerome’s Primary School in Munster – a position she secured prior to graduating. Gemma will spend 2015 travelling abroad.
With all pre-service teachers required to undertake a minimum of 32 weeks’ classroom experience as part of their degree, Clare says Notre Dame has equipped her with the professional knowledge and skills required to become successful in her vocation.
“I have always possessed a love for learning and teaching others about the material I have studied. I feel confident and prepared in stepping into the workforce, having been educated at Notre Dame,” Clare said.
Gemma is no stranger to the personalised education experience offered at Notre Dame, having graduated from her double degree in Commerce and Arts with the highest Grade Point Average from the July 2011 cohort. However, Gemma was called to the teaching vocation with a yearning to make a tangible and intrinsic impact on the lives of secondary school-aged children in the classroom.
“It is exciting to be involved in the education of young people; it is dynamic and innovative, there is never a day that is the same and you are constantly learning. To be able to impart knowledge to children is meaningful – one of the only things in the world that can never be taken from someone,” Gemma said.
Dean of the School of Education, Professor Michael O’Neill, congratulated the Thomson family on their academic success at Notre Dame.
“As Dean of the School of Education, it is an absolute delight to see Natalia, Gemma and Clare graduate at the December ceremony. I have lectured and tutored all three women and clearly remember interviewing both Clare and Gemma for a place in their course when they began their teaching degrees,” Professor O’Neill said.
“They are remarkable women, having supported each other through their studies, completing their courses with distinction and inspiring others around them in the process.”