Clarence and Rokeby high schools at centre of learning to love teaching career
Rosemary Callingham AM didn’t think she would enjoy being a teacher when she started in the 1980s, but since then her love for the profession has grown thanks to two Tassie high schools.
Tasmania
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ROSEMARY Callingham didn’t think she would enjoy being a teacher when she started her teaching career in the 1980s.
Ms Callingham, who started out in the profession as a Clarence High student teacher in 1987, was today appointed a Member of the Order of Australia [AM] For significant service to mathematics education, to teacher development, and to the community.
The University of Tasmania Adjunct Associate Professor has forged a lengthy career as a maths teacher, having worked overseas at the University of New England in the early 2000s while also serving as a Consultant for the North Korean Ministry of Education between 2006-2009.
But Ms Callingham said her love of teaching developed while working in two Tasmanian public high schools.
“Working at Rokeby and Clarence High in the eighties and nineties were terrific years and I was able to learn a lot about teaching,” she said.
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“I was a single mother when I started teaching and I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it fascinating. I didn’t think when I started out that I would enjoy it as much as I have.”
Ms Callingham said her Queen’s Birthday honour was recognition of the hard work of others.
“I think it recognises the areas of work I have been involved in, including my community work with Anglicare. It’s not so much about me, but all the people who contributed – that’s the importance of it,” she said.
“Maths is such a complex subject. You have to break it down and piece it back together in ways children understand. It’s a real challenge to do that.”
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