About me and my family
Hi there!
I’m Jayne, known to many Little Learners as Mrs Jayne.
I’ve been a teacher in Australia for 27 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 multi-age 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.
My husband, Dwayne, identifies as indigenous. His father’s side of the family are from the Torres Strait Islands of Far North Queensland. Dwayne is also a teacher and currently works with a NDIS company supporting adults with disabilities.
We have 2 daughters – Milly is 16 years old, in Year 12 and on the Autism Spectrum, and Evy is 13 years old, in Year 9 and neurotypical. Our pets are an energetic rescue dog called Duke and a talkative white and blue budgerigar called Sparkle.
We 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.
What I love about 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 love to present learning spaces aesthetically. It’s important to me that children have choice during their learning, 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!
These days, I tutor privately from my home in Palm Beach, sell teaching resources online through Teachers Pay Teachers and Australian Teachers Marketplace and do other work and study outside of teaching that allows me to explore my interests in horticulture and home decorating.
My teaching philosophy
- Children need opportunities to play, explore, choose, exercise, create, experiment and be their unique selves.
- Humans come in a full rainbow-spectrum of types and are all capable of learning.
- Teaching and learning is joyous when learning spaces are artistic, inclusive and peaceful.
- Young Australians absolutely 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 as teaching the ‘three Rs’.
- 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.
- Teaching is a noble and worthwhile career.
That’s my story so far – thanks for getting to know a little bit about me.
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
