Hi there!
I’m Jayne, known to many Little Learners as Mrs Jayne.
I’ve been a teacher in Australia for 26 years, mostly in Early Years classrooms. I’ve taught:
- in metropolitan, regional and remote indigenous State and Catholic schools in Queensland;
- in Community Kindergartens and Preschools in regional towns and major cities in Queensland;
- in Nursery, Reception and Years 1 – 6 in Public Schools in London, England;
- in multiage primary school classrooms;
- as a Literacy Specialist in Prep – Year 7 classrooms in a Gold Coast State School;
- as a private tutor to primary school aged students;
- as a tutor for indigenous adult university students;
- as a classroom teacher in full time, part time & relief capacities;
- as a Nature Play Educator in Bush and Beach Kindy programs.
I’m married to Dwayne. We celebrated our 20 year wedding anniversary in September 2023! Dwayne identifies as indigenous as his father’s side of the family are from the Torres Strait Islands of Far North Queensland. Dwayne is a high school teacher in Industrial Technology and Design (that’s modern lingo for old school Manual Arts).
We have 2 daughters together – Milly who is 16 years old, in Year 11 at high school & on the Autism Spectrum … and Evy who is 13 years old, in Year 8 & neurotypical.
We have a collection of much-loved pets: an energetic, rescue dog called Duke; a talkative white and blue budgerigar called Sparkle; and a bowl full of guppies.
We now live on the gorgeous Gold Coast in the state of Queensland, Australia. Our family have also lived in the Torres Strait Islands in the remote North of the state where Dwayne and I both taught for 3 years. Before children, Dwayne and I also worked overseas in England as well as around the state in Brisbane, Mackay and Emerald.
Teaching …
I’ve been a teacher for such a long time. And I’ve loved it immensely – it has fueled my fire, filled me with passion, given me purpose and provided many life-enriching adventures. I’m so proud to have been able to call myself a teacher. But, what I’ve found to be rewarding and fulfilling for over 2 decades has also been … well … exhausting!
I’m the kinda teacher who does things 110%. I do overtime. I love to present my classroom aesthetically. It’s important to me that children have choice during their day, that they have access to hands-on resources and time to play both indoors and out. I love teaching yoga, mindfulness, sustainability concepts, indigenous perspectives, visual arts, music and movement, fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Singing, dancing, easel painting, cooking, playdough and obstacle courses are some of my favourite things to do with Little Learners!
… and teacher burn-out
Combining all of my passions with the content prescribed by the National Curriculum, NAPLAN expectations, systemic requirements, planning, marking, implementing assessment tasks, staff meetings, parent- teacher interviews, report cards, school requirements and the expected pace of daily life in a primary school classroom lead me to feeling … well … more than just a bit worn out!
My teaching workload topped with my anxious personality type, mandatory vaccinations and an unwanted transfer at the end of 2021 saw me buckle. I took the first 6 months of 2022 as time off from teaching to rest and search for clarity. I then started working at the new school I was transferred to in a part-time role in the second half of 2022. I then made the decision to leave the state school system I’d worked in for 20 years and followed my heart back to where I had started my Early Childhood Teaching career … at a community-based, not-for-profit Kindergarten.
Working in the Kindy was a transformative time for me – I did a Bush Kindy Leader course, learned lots about loose parts play and really enjoyed feeling released from the curriculum pressures of a state school classroom to follow a child-led, nature-informed, co-constructed curriculum with 3 – 5 year olds. In 2024, I switched to working part time in a Bush Kindy program as a Nature Play Educator. This program for 3 – 5 year olds happens in completely outdoor environments in all weather conditions, allowing lots of uninterrupted time for deep play in nature. I also began tutoring from home, working with individual and small groups of 3 – 8 year old children who succeed at Kindy, Prep and big school with a little bit of extra, differentiated support.
My love for teaching has led me to many positive reflections at this point of my career:
- Teaching is a noble and worthwhile career.
- Children need opportunities to play, explore, choose, exercise, create, experiment and be their unique selves.
- Humans come in a full rainbow-spectrum of varieties, styles and types and are all capable of learning.
- Teaching and learning is joyous when classrooms are artistic, inclusive, peaceful spaces.
- Young Australians need to be literate and numerate, but teaching social skills, emotional resilience, mental and physical wellbeing, good choices, inclusivity and values is just as important.
- Connecting with the cross-curricular priorities of Indigenous Perspectives and Sustainability in the Early Years Learning Framework’s (0 – 6 year olds) and National Curriculum (Prep – Year 6) fills my bucket.
- A strategy-based approach to teaching maths is effective and can be easily differentiated.
- Teaching a synthetic phonics program for spelling, reading and writing is powerful.
- Explicit instruction and intentional teaching are good pedagogical practices that can be implemented in a classroom or in an outdoor learning environment.
And my experience with teacher burn-out has led me to reflect on many questions at this point in my career:
- Do I just need a little break from teaching?
- Should I quit teaching altogether and try something different and new?
- Will my spark for teaching return if I just ease up a bit and stop expecting so much of myself?
- Would I feel differently if I taught in a different setting?
- In which setting would my passion for teaching override my exhaustion from teaching?
- How can I still be involved with educating children and supporting families while stepping away from a classroom environment?
- How can I use my accrued skills, knowledge, resources and experience to pivot into something new?
- How else could I share the things I’m passionate about with other educators?
- Why is moving away from classroom teaching interwoven with such strong feelings of guilt, identity loss and grief?
Do any of these questions resonate with you?
Teacher burn-out, career transitions, side-hustles
Little Rainbow Learners has sprouted from my goals of self-care, prioritising the wellbeing of myself and my family, and my love of high quality early childhood education. After my complete burn-out in the state primary school system at the end of 2021, I’ve been experimenting with changes to my work / life balance. From solely being a classroom teacher, I’ve been dabbling in rainbow-coloured options including: teaching part-time in a community kindergarten, writing this therapeutic blog ;), selling resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, relief teaching, casual administration work in the NDIS world, working with a careers consultant, studying a Horticulture course part-time at TAFE and exploring “plan B” paths for my future.
Resources I’ve found useful and comforting during this time include Teacher Career Coach by Daphne Gomez. She offers a website, social media posts, podcasts, blog & a course that support teachers to explore transitioning to careers outside the classroom without the guilt. As well as the excellent Teacher Wellbeing podcast by Ellen Ronalds Keene. This is available for free on Spotify and aims to facilitate conversations about teacher wellbeing, burnout prevention, proactive wellbeing practices, and teachers giving themselves permission to put themselves first!
I’ve also worked with Natalie Moloney from At the Helm Career Services to get support with defining my values, skills and interests. I know for sure that a nourishing career needs to align with my personal and professional values.
Shannah Kennedy’s book ‘Plan B’ has also been a source of inspiration and comfort. I’ve read it through to the end twice already & the beginning three times! I have dog-eared so many pages – I like the step-by-little-step approach Shannah promotes and her advocacy for self-care and aligning career with personal values. Her website is Shannah Kennedy – Clarity. Direction. Purpose.
That’s my story so far – thanks for getting to know a little bit about me.
I’d love to hear the story of your teaching journey.
Connect with me at mrs.jaynes.little.rainbow.learners@gmail.com
on instagram @little.rainbow.learners
and in my TpT store LittleRainbowLearners Teaching Resources | Teachers Pay Teachers
