Sometimes our childhood dreams come true. In fact, recent research by The Genius of Play team found an interesting connection between the games we play as children and our chosen career paths. One of our newest staff members would agree! Meet Simonne Moretta, who joined Carmel Primary School this year as our new Year 4 teacher.

Simonne鈥檚 desire to teach was evident right from the beginning of her life. Her favourite thing to do as a child was playing 鈥榮chools鈥� with friends. And she always made sure she took on the role of teacher! 听

While she briefly entertained the idea of dentistry in her first year of university, it wasn鈥檛 long before Simonne realised she needed to follow her true passion and transferred to Edith Cowan University (ECU) to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Education, Primary.

鈥淚t was definitely the right call,鈥� says Simonne who particularly wanted to work with primary school-aged children.

鈥淚n primary school, it鈥檚 those little connections you make with students throughout the day that is the most important,鈥� said Simonne.

After graduating and working as a teacher for five years in regional WA and metropolitan Perth, Simonne taught in London for three years where she gained significant experience in Early Childhood teaching. Upon returning to Perth Simonne continued her studies to complete a Diploma in Early Childhood Studies at ECU.

She then taught at John Wollaston Anglican Community School in Kelmscott and during this time was asked to implement the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program at the school.

鈥淚 was the Coordinator of the IB for three years at John Wollaston and this involved a number of overseas professional development opportunities,鈥� said Simonne.

After moving to St Hilda鈥檚 Anglican School for Girls for a period, Simonne took a break from working life for eight years to immerse herself in her new role of being a mother.

Returning to work at John Wollaston for a time, Simonne began to look for new opportunities closer to where she lived and successfully applied for the Year 4 teaching role at Carmel.

鈥淚 was intrigued by the smaller class sizes and the high academics,鈥� she said.

鈥淭he small classes are wonderful. I have 15 students this year and I have previously taught classes with up to 32 students.鈥�

Simonne is also enjoying learning about the Jewish faith and culture and has felt very welcomed by everyone.

鈥淓verything is so interesting. There are lots of different new words and I can鈥檛 pronounce everything yet but one thing that has stood out is how kind, caring, and friendly everyone is. It really has made me feel very welcome and part of the school very early on.鈥�

Simonne is looking forward to developing more opportunities for student-led learning and critical thinking in her classroom.

鈥淚 still have a lot to learn about the School, but I am thankful for the amazing teaching partner I have in Charmaine Butler, who has been very generous with her time,鈥� said Simonne.