Does the Monash Children’s Hospital School have Australia’s Best Teacher?
“For many people, we have one teacher that stands out to us for some reason, so to have been that teacher to Sophie and to have that significant impact feels really lucky.”
Ward Teacher Belinda Husson has been nominated by her student Sophie for The Herald Sun’s Australia’s Best Teacher campaign.
Teachers are to schools as nurses and doctors are to hospitals – but at the Monash Children’s Hospital, sometimes teachers can make hospitals an even better place to be.
Our Monash Children’s Hospital School has been providing learning and support since 2017 to unwell youngsters who need help with their education while receiving care on site.
Our teachers go above and beyond to ensure our patients don’t fall behind in their schoolwork, and we think they’re pretty great – but we’re not the only ones.
Belinda, the Humanities and English Teacher, who has been working at the school since it opened, said it felt “pretty amazing” for Sophie to recognise her work in such a big way.
“It’s definitely our whole team which makes the school so great, it’s such an awesome team.”
In her submission, which ran in the paper on 2 April, student Sophie told the Herald Sun Belinda and the whole team at the school always helped her achieve her goals.
“They’re there to support and guide me and ensure I keep up with my school work while in hospital,” Sophie told The Herald Sun.
“They make sure I’m proud of the work I’m submitting and help me to do my best.”
The recognition was extra special to Belinda, as it was a stand-out teacher in her youth that inspired her to become a teacher herself.
“I love helping students to learn and grow, and the sense of fulfillment that comes with that,” she said.
“I had a teacher that really inspired me and they had a significant impact on my love of learning, so to have the opportunity to do this for my own students is priceless.”
The school creates individual plans for each student depending on their needs – some have work from their base school they receive assistance to work on, whereas some need a fresh learning plan created for them by our teachers.
“We make sure we’re always liaising with a student’s base school, and for students that can’t physically make it into our classrooms, I go and teach by their bedside,” she said.
“Being able to provide them with a safe and engaging workspace while they are at their most vulnerable is pretty amazing.”
The campaign will run until May and aims to recognise the dedication and hard work of amazing teachers across the nation, and advocate for better working environments.