Gympie’s 2025 favourite Prep teacher Michelle ‘Shelley’ Jackson interview

The numbers don’t lie: Michelle Jackson has been crowned Gympie’s favourite Prep teacher 2025 by our readers, winning by an impressive margin and prompting an outpouring of love from her school community.

Michelle Jackson (Ms Shelley, right), winner of Gympie's favourite Prep teacher 2025, with her Prep students.

Thirteen of Gympie’s top educators entered the voting pool for Gympie’s favourite Prep teacher 2025, and Mary Valley State College’s Michelle “Shelley” Jackson has emerged victorious, as voted by our readers.

Receiving an impressive 44 per cent of the total votes, “Ms Shelley” and her school were delighted to celebrate the victory.

Ms Shelley, 58, has been teaching young children for nearly four decades, and said any other job just wouldn’t feel the same.

She has taught at numerous schools, including a 20-year stint at Eumundi State School, and has found that longer-term tenures at the same school have brought greater satisfaction over the years.

“It’s all about building relationships,” Ms Shelley said.

“You can get the opportunity to teach people’s whole family.

“I often get the chance to teach siblings as they come through the same school.”

While it hasn’t happened often, Ms Shelley said she had even had the chance to teach two different generations.

“I actually taught a girl once, where I later got the chance to teach her son in Prep,” Ms Shelley said.

Michelle "Shelley" Jackson holding her Gympie's Favourite Prep Teacher award, presented by Mary Valley State College. Picture: Mary Valley State College.

“Because (Prep) is their first introduction to formal learning, and it’s all about creating good relationships so that kids want to learn, and they want to come to school.

“They know everyone’s different as well, that’s something we talk about a lot, everyone being able to do their own thing.

“Some people might be good at running, or numbers, or swimming, not everyone’s going to be exactly the same, and that’s important.”

Ms Shelley said one of the best aspects of Prep teaching was the close relationship formed with parents and families of her students, who were very involved with their young children.

“It’s a real partnership between everyone, the teacher aides, the staff, we’re a team,” Ms Shelley said.

Michelle Jackson (Ms Shelley) said teaching Prep was “a real partnership between everyone, the teacher aides, the staff, we’re a team”.

Mary Valley State College shared the news to their Facebook.

“Our beautiful Ms Shelley has been voted Gympie’s favourite Prep Teacher, thanks to the Gympie Times!” the school wrote.

“And thank you to our community for helping show the Gympie Region how lucky we are to have Ms Shelley. She really is something special!”

“So very well deserving of this award, a beautiful caring lovely teacher,” Rachael Ritter wrote.

Cheyenne Logan, a mother of Prep students at the school, shared a heartwarming message of gratitude.

“No one else deserves this more than you. Thank you for giving my girls a magical start to their schooling years,” Ms Logan wrote.

Tied for second were Miss Nolan from Gympie West State School, and Jellina Penn from One Mile State School.

Coming in third were St Patrick’s Primary School’s Michelle Bailey and Kilkivan P-10 State School’s Julia Black.

Originally published as Gympie’s 2025 favourite Prep teacher Michelle ‘Shelley’ Jackson interview