QUT teaching graduate Peter Macbeth has swapped a city university of 44,000 students for a bush school with 85 kids. And he couldn't be happier.
Mr Macbeth has just about finished his first year of teaching at Surat State School, five hours west of Brisbane, after graduating from QUT's Caboolture campus with a Bachelor of Education (Primary) in 2013.
A robotics buff, he returned to his old uni campus in November with five of his Year 5-8 pupils to take part in a FIRST LEGO League robotics tournament for children aged nine to 16.
He said he was loving living and working at Surat and being part of a tight-knit rural community.
"My enthusiasm in the school is influenced by the small rural town atmosphere which is contagious," he said.
"I have had the opportunity to co-ordinate and be involved with a number of school and community events, build close and valuable relationships with parents and students, all while having a blast and enjoying rural living.
"I teach health and physical education to students from Prep to Year 10, as well as a variety of Year 7 to Year 10 industrial technology and design subjects, including robotics, graphics and woodworking.
"Along with teaching in the classroom, I organise all sporting events and support the student council."
Mr Macbeth said he took advantage of many opportunities to get extra teaching experience while studying at QUT, including volunteering to teach at a Cambodian orphanage in 2011 and visiting the USA to experience a different education system during his 2012-13 Christmas break.
"I also gained extra confidence from my role as lead ambassador for the Robotics@QUT program where I helped design and implement robotic lessons at local schools," he said.
"The opportunities QUT provided to practice my skills in a range of settings were an invaluable experience which helped prepare me for my first year of teaching."
People interested in studying teaching at QUT should submit applications to QTAC by December 10 for the January 15 offer round, or by January 21 for the February 5 offer round. Visit www.qtac.edu.au for details.
For more information on QUT's education degrees, visit www.qut.edu.au/be-a-teacher.
Media contact: Mechelle McMahon, QUT media officer, media@qut.edu.au
