STUDENT
Jenni Solterbeck – Education (Primary)
Volunteering in her son’s classroom inspired Jenni to enrol in the Bachelor of Education (Primary), where she is pursuing her passion for inspiring young minds.
After more than a decade working across administration, events and project management, I had the first of my three children. From then on, I committed to part-time work only.
After returning to work, I felt increasingly disillusioned and disconnected from the corporate environment – I felt I couldn’t contribute or achieve job satisfaction – so I made the decision to resign.
When my eldest son started prep a year later, I volunteered to help out in his classroom. This experience really opened my eyes to a whole new potential career path.
I enrolled in the Bachelor of Education (Primary) at RMIT because the small intake at the Brunswick campus really appealed to me. I was also drawn to the prospect of undertaking two placements in my first year of study.
These placements provided me with hands-on teaching experience that assured me I had made the right decision. Placements not only offer practical experience, but they also give students the opportunity to network with fellow future teachers, current teachers and schools.
I’ve learnt that a good teacher is someone who is ready to listen, offer advice and inspire new ways of learning. It’s also important to be open to learning and admitting when you don’t know something.
It’s been challenging trying to juggle full-time study with raising three kids, but I’m a mum so we have to be organised!
A career in teaching will allow me to inspire and engage young minds while providing me with immense job satisfaction.