Australia’s Best Teachers: How Melbourne’s man’s mid-career change helped save lives and become ‘the GOAT’

A world-altering pandemic was just the wake-up call Jarrod Lucas needed to pivot and become a teacher, which helped him “genuinely change lives”.

Thomas Carr College teacher, Jarrod Lucas, has been nominated as one of Australias best teachers by his students and peers. Picture: Josie Hayden

A world-altering pandemic was just the wake-up call Jarrod Lucas needed to pivot and become a teacher, which helped him “genuinely change lives”.

Working as a business development manager, then a brief stint as a learning support officer, when lockdowns hit in 2020 he decided to take the leap by studying online at Curtin University.

Now the 40-year-old has been nominated in this year’s Australia’s Best Teachers campaign, with dozens of nominations from his pupils at Thomas Carr College.

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His supportive, humorous style of education has been highlighted for making learning enjoyable and inclusive, with the key attribute highlighted by his peers being his ability to connect on a personal level with every student.

Thomas Carr College teacher Jarrod Lucas made the switch into teaching four years ago, and is loving every minute of it. Picture: Josie Hayden

“I’m big on relationships … I know that a lot of them can live as a single sibling or have parents that work a lot, so it’s quite often that I’m the constant person they see guaranteed five days a week,” Lucas says.

“I take that role quite seriously.

“I’m the first face they see every morning and I want them to know when they walk into home room that it’s a safe space and every voice is heard.”

Many students described Lucas as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), with one saying that he helped them go from failing to getting As, which the educator says is “a badge of honour”.

“You need to know your students and how they learn, I know that sounds like a broad statement … but if you don’t know your students, well then there’s going to be no growth and nothing is going to change,” Lucas says.

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“Some students can get a bit forgotten … building a connection and a bit of extra time and extra effort and positive praise can go a long way, which these kids don’t get a lot.”

Another of his nominations said Lucas “saved their life”, which the teacher says was incredibility “powerful”.

“It is tough to hear that, but it just reaffirms everything I do in the morning … I wake up before my alarm goes off because I’m excited to go to school, and I think that resonates with the kids.

“Don’t get me wrong, I go home tired, but it’s worth it.”

An emphasis on keeping lessons fun and interesting is what Lucas focuses on to keep students engaged – whether that be with playing games, watching videos or just answering questions – but he has one rule for every class he meets for the first time.

“Regardless when I have it or how old they are, the very first lesson together is there’s no content delivered. There’s no curriculum.

Jarrod Lucas has a plan for his first class — no curriculum. Picture: Josie Hayden

“It’s just us getting to know one another and me learning how they like to learn, so I’m able to adapt the way I teach to address their individual needs.”

Taking the step to change careers is not something that comes easily to people, but Lucas pushed for anyone who was thinking of it to learn from him.

“Don’t do what I did and wait till you’re in the second stage of your career … if you are thinking about it, run with it.

“It is hard, and there are days you think you can’t stand in front of a classroom of students and have all the answers. Not every day is going to be perfect and it never will be.

“But you’ve got to run with it because at the end of the day getting a thank you from a student just for helping them understand something is really rewarding.”

Follow our Australia’s Best Teachers advocacy series, in partnership with Officeworks, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, Education Perfect and Big Ass Fans, via this link.

Originally published as Australia’s Best Teachers: How Melbourne’s man’s mid-career change helped save lives and become ‘the GOAT’