Bourchier Street Primary School teacher Ebony Peters.
Having a Shepparton branch of the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership is directly impacting the education outcomes of hundreds of our young people, Bourchier Street Primary School teacher Ebony Peters says.
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Miss Peters ought to know. A product of Wanganui Park Secondary College and the Shepparton campus of La Trobe University, she has long made the most of having professional learning available on her doorstep.
Now in her fifth year of teaching, Miss Peters was the Victorian recipient of the Outstanding Early Career Primary Teacher award in 2024. The honour qualified her to take up the Academy’s year-long, flagship Teaching Excellence Program.
“I’ve also been able to gain training in literacy and trauma at the Academy, which allows me to share these skills with colleagues and get the best outcomes for my students and my school,” she said.
The Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership began in Melbourne’s inner city in 2021 but soon branched out to seven regional centres, including Shepparton.
Opening at 17 Sobroan St in 2023, the Shepparton site offers teachers across the Goulburn Valley the opportunity to collaborate, engage in professional development and learn new skills and practices from expert educators.
“As a teacher you are also a learner, and I wouldn’t have been able to gain the same amount of learning if it was only available in Melbourne,” Miss Peters said.
“Having the Academy here also allows collaboration between familiar faces from local schools, which benefits us all.”
For Miss Peters, it has been a key driver in delivering the best learning for her students, every day.
Despite her early career achievements, Miss Peters wasn’t always destined for the classroom. Her initial plans were for accounting, and she also spent a gap year in the military.
“I love how every day is different in being a teacher,” she said.
“I wouldn’t have had that in accounting!”
The Academy is an Australian-first and dedicated to delivering teaching excellence and advanced professional learning for high-performing teachers and school leaders in government, Catholic and Independent schools.
The Academy of Teaching and Leadership in Shepparton.
