Chantal came to the School last year after working for the Department of Education for four years, during which time she taught in Albany, Geraldton and Exmouth across Years 1 to 7.

Chantal is now happy to be solely focused on the Year 3 boys, who she said had so much enthusiasm. “I love it. I love coming to work every day,” Chantal said. “And I really love the diversity of the boys. They’ve all got different strengths and different experiences.”

She said the Year 3s represented a wide variety of abilities and it was her job to cater for all the different needs. “It’s not just a matter of teaching Year 3. There are some boys who are capable of doing Year 7 maths, and others who need extra support.”

To cater for the varying needs, Chantal and fellow Year 3 Teacher Rebecca Duncan work closely with Anthea Feaver, who provides maths support and extension, and Helen Adams, who provides literacy support and extension. “I really enjoy working in this kind of a collaborative environment, and it works really well for the boys,” Chantal said.

She also highlighted the importance of the support offered by parents. “It’s really great having so many parents, both mums and dads, volunteer their time to help out with various activities and come on excursions… and the boys love it.”

Chantal said Year 3 was an extremely important year for the boys. It marked the start of national testing, and with this came an expectation of achievement. But Chantal believed it was important not to become too focused on that. “The boys need to be able to move at their own developmental pace. I think it’s important to encourage independence and prepare them for middle primary.”

After teaching older primary students in the past, Chantal believed she had now found her niche with the Year 3s. “I love that they’re still kids,” she said. “And they are just so incredibly enthusiastic about everything. They’re all friends and they all care about each other and support each other… and they’re quite willing to have a go at anything. They’re not yet scared of failure.”