By REBECCA BILLS
MOUNT Evelyn Special Development School (SDS) teacher Shane Spence has been awarded the Victoria Teachers Mutual Bank Teacher of the Year.
As part of the 2014 Victorian Education Excellence Awards, 14 winners over 14 categories were presented with professional development and research grants worth between $10,000 and $50,000 to honour and support the state’s best educators.
Mr Spence was given the award for his work establishing meTV – a first in-school based daily television show with a focus on social and behavioural upskilling as well as teaching everyday skills.
“We have taught kids to climb stairs that they couldn’t, to speak and even go to the toilet from them viewing the program,” he said.
All students have a fair chance of starring in the show with a rotational system in place, enabling students to engage in a very hands-on way.
Mr Spence said he was now working with other SDS schools across the state to set up similar television studio set-ups on a budget to ensure all students across the board have access.
“We have set up a website where other schools can use our videos, subscribe and also upload their own, so we can all utilise each other’s work – we even have schools in Canada using them,” he said.
“The students love it and are really benefitting from it.”
Vice-principal Janet Taylor said the whole school was extremely proud of Mr Spence’s achievements but the big winners were the students and the incredible development they had seen in them.
“It’s incredibly satisfying to see children who have multiple impairments participating in the program at a skill level we never expected alongside their peers,” she said.
“It really has blown us away.”
Minister for Education Martin Dixon said these awards honour the remarkable people working in our schools who bring out the very best in our children.
The ceremony also included ‘Thank a Teacher’ sketches, video footage and written tributes to the finalists by students, parents and colleagues.
“It was fantastic to hear and see from the children themselves about how their teachers and principals are having such a positive impact on their lives,” Mr Dixon said.
Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development Wendy Lovell said it was the dedication and passion of people working in our schools that inspired young minds to explore new possibilities, set ambitious goals, and prepare for new and exciting learning experiences.
“Each story of education excellence highlighted among the 41 finalists is not only a personal triumph in a particular school or early learning service – it also inspires colleagues across the education sector,” she said.
Check out the work of Mount Evelyn SDS students and teachers meTV at metveducation.com.au/meTV/.
