Alexandra Ambrum is a proud Gooreng Gooreng and Malanburra Yidinji woman, born and bred in the Innisfail area, who has always aspired to teach. She’s now working as a trainee at Goodstart South Innisfail (Mourilyan Road) while studying. Here, she shares how she is combining her love of teaching children with culture…
I have always been interested in teaching children. I grew up around a lot of children and enjoyed meeting people from different areas. My mother has worked with a lot of families for a very long time, so I have had a passion for the sector from an early age - she is a very strong woman who has taught me to be strong too.
I am really driven by the opportunity to show Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that you can do whatever you put your mind to. I love sharing my culture and hope I can inspire others to get a quality education, while helping children learn. I want to be a role model and someone that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children can identify with.
By working at Goodstart I get to focus on my two passions — teaching children and sharing my culture. I love it when children ask questions about my Indigenous background — they are so inquisitive, and genuinely eager to learn. It’s great to be a part of a centre that recognises the First Nations people by doing Acknowledgement of Country every morning. It is an amazing experience, and it makes me so happy and proud to know the children and other educators in the centre are getting to know my people and culture.
Goodstart’s traineeship program is great, because it gives me the flexibility to study while I work, putting what I learn into practice every day. It’s a great benefit to get that hands-on experience across different age groups. I’m not sure what room I’ll be in when I progress to the role of Educator — but I am loving the nursery and toddler rooms!
One of the best things about my job is that everyone is constantly learning and growing. The children’s stories and curiosity can teach us all! They inspire me to do better every day and turn up as my best self.