Life is Rosie for Batchelor kids

Rosie Brunker has a calling to help get children off to a flying start in life.

With a newly minted Bachelor of Teaching and Learning (Early Childhood) that’s exactly what she is doing as a year 3/4 teacher at Batchelor Area School.

Miss Brunker was awarded a scholarship to study teaching and learning at Charles Darwin University under the auspices of the NT Education Department’s More Indigenous Teachers Initiative (MITI).

“When I finished school I worked in childcare because I knew I wanted to work with kids – especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders – but didn’t really know which career path to pursue,” Miss Brunker said.

“I was fortunate enough to receive the (MITI) scholarship because without it there was no way I could afford to stop work to study full-time.”

Miss Brunker completed her fifth practical teaching element – in her final year of a four-year course – at Batchelor Area School and was offered a teaching position there, despite the fact she had another 12-week practicum to go to complete her degree.

She was given an authority to teach by the School principal Robyn Thorpe, who recognised her outstanding teaching abilities.

“Rosie demonstrated that she was a passionate and committed educator who has all the qualities to be a high performing teacher,” Mrs Thorpe said.

“The support of everyone at the school was just wonderful,” Miss Brunker said.

“And the support services for Indigenous students at CDU played a very important role in my being able to complete my studies there.”