Congratulations Mr Henderson

Congratulations to Year 3 teacher, Mr Michael Henderson, who was voted in by parents as one of the top 20 teachers on the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast Bulletin competition came to a close last week with Mr Henderson winning third place.

Tell me about why you wanted to become a teacher?  It was all about making a difference in this world. I loved working with children when I ran my preschool sports business in Sydney, but I wanted a greater challenge and more time to work with children and their families. I really struggled at school, academically and socially, so every day now I want the opposite for the children in my class and want to make the year I have with them one to remember.

Why do you love the profession? I love the community of our College, I love walking into a dynamic and caring environment each day. It is also very challenging and always changing with different children in my class. Being a teacher is busy and I like that in my role.

How many kids are in your class? 27

Do you love your class this year? Yes, absolutely. Their eagerness to learn, their patience with their own learning and the encouragement they give each other is incredible to witness and be a part of.

What is your favourite subject to teach? Science is an absolute favourite of mine especially when completing experiments with the class. Was it your favourite subject when you went to school? No, HPE class was the highlight when I was in school.

What is the highlight of your career? Having current and past students comment on how much they love coming to school.

Do you love working with kids? Why? I have always enjoyed seeing development and learning within children, especially seeing new skills and knowledge demonstrated by my students as well as breaking down boundaries in learning. Seeing the internal growth of individuals through resilience and social understandings is so powerful in young children.

Would you encourage others to become a teacher? Why? Yes, absolutely. We are teaching lifelong skills and within the schooling environment experiences that will stay with individuals for a long time.

What do you feel about winning the award? I feel very humbled by the recognition.

Why do you think you did? The last three years of teaching at Coomera Anglican College have been incredible. I have had the opportunity to work alongside incredible leaders and other teachers, I am still learning the art of teaching though the support of the College community has always been very strong. Is there anyone you want to thank? The families of the children I teach in intrusting me with their children each day and allowing me to follow my passion of teaching.