Our last G’day mates! (From Canada this time)
Looking back on our two months in Australia, it’s hard to believe how much we experienced and learned together. When we first met, the five of us barely knew each other, two studying secondary education and three in primary. Suddenly, we were living together on the other side of the world, trying to plan trips, manage coursework, and figure out daily life in a new country.
Not everything went smoothly. There were missed buses, delayed flights, and plans that didn’t quite work out, but we learned to problem-solve and laugh our way through it. Somewhere between cooking dinner together, travelling up and down the coast, and even visiting New Zealand, we went from strangers to a close group of friends who genuinely wanted to spend time together.
We didn’t start in classrooms until our second month, which at first felt strange, but it gave us time to adjust and build strong friendships. Once we began our placements, we loved coming home at the end of the day to share what we’d seen, comparing experiences between primary and secondary schools and noticing the small but meaningful differences in teaching and learning. We were able to see how education can look and feel different in another part of the world. We also had the chance to learn more about Indigenous perspectives and how Australian schools embed Indigenous culture and history into their teaching. This really encouraged us to think about how we can bring more inclusive and authentic Indigenous education into our own classrooms back in Canada.
Now that we’re back in Canada and in the first week of our practicums, we can see how much the experience shaped the kind of teachers we want to be, flexible, compassionate, and open to learning from every new situation. It was an unforgettable adventure, both personally and professionally, and we’re so grateful we got to experience it together.
Cheers,
Mollie, Megan, Katarina, Tayah, and Madalyn