“Leann Hansen has a passion for teaching early literacy and setting high expectations for herself and her Year One class which they regularly meet. Half of her 20 years as a teacher have been spent at St Francis Catholic Primary School, where she has been an active member of the school community. “Leann recognises that she must use a range of teaching strategies to respond to the age and learning characteristics of her Year One students. Creating a flexible classroom environment, she understands that a student-centred approach to learning will have a greater impact on student outcomes,” Principal Kathleen Watt says.
As an experienced early childhood teacher, Leann knows best how to teach appropriately for the age of her students, resulting in a high level of engagement. Student oral language skills, sight word recognition, sound identification and sentence fluency are at or above year-level standards. Regularly participating in professional development, Leann is also currently studying a Graduate Certificate in Safeguarding Children and Young People and is a Student Protection Contact at the school. In addition to using digital parent-teacher communication like the app See-Saw, Leann spends time personally building relationships and trust. “Leann welcomes parents to teach items of cultural interest and to support rotation activities and excursions,” Kathleen says. Congratulations Leann on your nomination.