Holly Thompson took a detour through psychology before realising her true calling was at the head of the classroom.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Years after walking out of Echuca College as a graduate, Holly Thompson has come full circle.
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Returning to the very same halls – this time as Miss Thompson – the fresh face in the faculty lounge took a path she never originally anticipated.
After completing a psychology degree at Deakin University and stepping into student wellbeing roles at local schools, her outlook on teaching shifted considerably.
“I realised how much I love being in a classroom,” she said.
“I loved being about to see something click within a student, and watching them succeed at something – it’s very rewarding.”
Drawing on her psychology background, Miss Thompson has been completing the Leadership Development Program with Teach for Australia, all while teaching students at Echuca College.
Teach for Australia is a not-for-profit organisation seeking to bridge the city-country gap in the teaching sector by upskilling qualified professionals to teach in regional and rural schools.
Teach For Australia chief executive Edwina Dohle said stories like Miss Thompson’s are a textbook example of what good can come from making the switch.
“We know that kids who grow up in the country are the ones most likely to come home and stay, so the opportunity is there if we make the most of it,” she said.
“Our job at Teach For Australia is to find more young people like Holly early, support them through their studies, and help them see those opportunities clearly, so the path home is an easy one to choose.
“Imagine if every regional town had a Holly, leading the next generation the way she's leading hers.”
More than half of Australia's newest teachers are mid-career changers — and Echuca College's Holly Thompson is joining that charge.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
For Miss Thompson, helping to close the opportunity gap for regional students was one of the driving forces behind her decision to pursue a career in teaching.
“I realised the inequality you get as a country kids – there’s not the same level of opportunities and experiences,” she said.
“When I jumped into teaching, I could have gone to any metro area, but I wanted to give back and provide those opportunities to the kids that maybe I didn’t get.”
Six months into the job, Miss Thompson said she has fully adjusted to life on the other side of the teacher’s desk — and is all the happier to be doing it in her hometown.
Looking back, she admits the signs pointing to teaching were probably there all along.
“Mum pulled a photo up the other day of me with my cousins out in the backyard when I was 12, and I had them all lined up, and I was holding an English book,” she said.
“It feels like it was written in the stars now that I’m back here.”
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