Teacher Education graduate Janice Simons maintained high results in Primary Education while adjusting to motherhood.
Teacher Education graduate Janice is proud of the fact she only had to extend her degree by one year and managed to maintain high results while adjusting to motherhood.
Now a mother of two kids under five, Janice was awarded no less than five academic excellence awards at a recent Edith Cowan University School of Education Prize Giving Ceremony.
If there was an award for achievement of study-life balance, and we think there should be, Janice would be on the podium for that too!
Fighting fear of failure
Hard to believe, given her significant academic achievements, but Janice originally had her doubts about being a teacher.
She studied engineering straight out of high school but then changed direction.
She always had an appreciation for teachers.
And the only thing stopping her from enrolling in a teaching degree was the fear that she would be terrible at it.
And if that was the case, she might negatively impact the futures of her hypothetical students.
"It was my husband (then fiancé) who encouraged me to enrol, reminding me that I used to help friends in high school, that if I could put up with his group of friends, then I could put up with a class full of teenagers," she says.
ECU's School of Education Executive Dean, Professor Caroline Mansfield and multi-award winner Janice Simons.
Mum's the word
For Janice, winning the five awards was not just a recognition of the work she put into her studies, but a meaningful achievement shared with her mum.
"I think I am most proud of what this meant for my mum, who has sacrificed a lot as a single, immigrant mother," Janice says.
"Being a typical Chinese mother, I do not often hear verbal praise from my mum, and so hearing her ask my husband, 'Where is that book with all the awards and names listed? Can I have it?' was honestly a highlight of my day.
Balancing the future
Janice says her biggest goal for the coming years is to learn how to balance being an effective teacher and a present mother.
With her track record, we think she'll manage more than OK.
If teaching has ever been something you thought about, but like Janice didn't believe you could do, maybe it's time for a rethink?
ECU has one of the best teacher education schools in Australia and a range of courses for students who may or may not already have a degree in another field.
