Unsurprisingly, I am looking at whatever I can to stay relevant in my job and improve my chances of more work now and in the future. There’s a few different routes I’m taking.
I just completed a TAFE course at the end of last year and got the certificate today. Known very generically as “Certificate III in Government (School Support Services) it was totally paid for by work, and while it seemed it would be quite boring at first it was actually pretty interesting, covering a wide range of professional duties within schools, and typical professional admin and organisational stuff. A good experience to work through, and hopefully a good qualification for the future.
More excitingly, after last month’s Google Apps summit several opportunities there have been made available. There’s something called being a “Google Certified Teacher” and the two-day course associated with that is on in Sydney in May. You have to be selected, so it’s a decent honour and qualification to get. There’s a short form to fill out, but the main thing is a one minute video. Fun 🙂
Actually, the video is an excellent challenge in itself and I’ll make it through showing my interactions with the Media Publication class at school. Most work I’ve ever done in a classroom, and hopefully another thing I can get into!
Best of all, I put in my application for the Westwords Writers Fellowship. Professional development of a whole different kind — writing mentorship, putting on workshops for kids in western Sydney, and even some money to help with my writing. Now that’s the prize right there!