South Australian teacher Skye Cossich follows dreams to Canteen Creek, NT

A South Australian teacher chased her dreams across red sands and dirt roads to a tiny NT town to pursue her passion for Indigenous education.

Canteen Creek School teacher Skye Cossich (pictured with partner Kyle and dog Winnie) participated in the Department of Education's graduate teacher pilot program.

A South Australian teacher has travelled across red sand and dirt roads to pursue her passion for Indigenous education in a tiny NT town.

Canteen Creek School teacher Skye Cossich said she joined the NT Education Department’s graduate teacher pilot program in Alice Springs and found it “extremely beneficial”.

“I was not only able to network with other like-minded graduate educators in the Northern Territory, but delve into what the Department of Education has put out for our strategic goals,” she said.

The new program in Darwin and Alice Springs focuses on strengthening connections between teachers across the NT and building mentor/mentee relationships.

The program launched in the first week of April, bringing new teachers together to focus on professional development, wellbeing practices, and culturally responsive teaching.

Skye Cossich (front middle) with fellow participants of the Education Department's graduate teacher pilot program at the Alice Springs launch.

Ms Cossich is originally from Murray Bridge, South Australia but said she was drawn to the Territory due to her passion for teaching Indigenous kids.

“I was fortunate enough to be a volunteer at Canteen Creek for a week last year, and I just knew the moment that I arrived and when I got home, all I spoke about was Canteen Creek and teaching,” she said.

“Up until finishing my degree, I was watching the positions available at Canteen Creek weekly and then I just bit the bullet and rang the principal.

“Went from there and now I’m fortunate enough to call it home.”

Ms Cossich – like more than 50 other teachers who joined the pilot program – said she gets to follow her passion as an educator every day.

She said the school and community were about 190km of dirt road away from the Stuart Hwy, but the isolation was part of her role’s charm.

“We’ve had a lot of rain, so it definitely cuts us off, but that’s nearly my favourite part,” she said.

“I love that the red dirt is at my front doorstep... so although it’s isolating and I’m far away from family and friends, I definitely feel more lucky than not.”

Originally published as South Australian teacher Skye Cossich follows dreams to Canteen Creek, NT