Why Jake and Priya gave up their careers to become high school teachers
By Jo Abi|
Switching careers can be daunting, but what if you are able to take everything you've loved and learned in your field and turn it into something extraordinary?
That's exactly what two Melbourne residents have done, by leaving behind the careers they'd built to become high school teachers, and they couldn't be happier.
Jake Muir, 27, musician turned music teacher
Making a living as a musician can be hard, although Jake was more successful than most.
"It's a blurry sort of career," he tells 9Honey. "It was seven-ish years where you don't really have an employer, you are more of a sub-contractor."
Music has been in Jake's life since he was a child.
"I learned to play music all through my high school years," he continues. "I primarily did voice but I also picked up piano, guitar and bass."
Which worked well for him because he was able to "play whatever someone pays me to play".
Jake spent those years in several bands and ensembles, and worked as a session musician.
"I played a lot of that kind of work," he said. "They'd ask you to come in, do this one thing on a track or sing backing vocals or a little piano. It was a bit sporadic. One of the luring things that brought me to education was that it was something you don't have to claw your way through. It's more stable."
It was a gradual process for Jake to become a music teacher.
"I started teaching privately first and that grew into a more substantial amount of income," he says. Watching his students learn and grow in their chosen instrument felt fulfilling, so much so that he decided to enroll in his Master of Teaching at the University of Melbourne.
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"My first teaching experience was a placement during the first year of my two-year Masters," he says. "They send you to school quite soon. It was very different from one-on-one teaching. Suddenly 26 of them are staring at you."
Although Jake had some experience performing in bands.
Since then he has learned a lot about being a music teacher.
"It was very different from one-on-one teaching. Suddenly 26 of them are staring at you."
"I find half of them are already into it, and with the other half, you have to win them over," he says. "You take them on a journey to start with and ask them what they like. Inevitably they will like some sort of music or have a favourite TV theme and then you learn the song with this instrument and then you take them a bit further from what they know."
For Jake, that music is Miles Davis.
"One of the positives of learning music is delayed gratification," he says. "When you first start losing an instrument it is hard. It teaches you that you have to earn the reward."
Switching to online learning has been challenging during Victoria's recent lockdowns but Jake says his students got the hang of it quickly and they have taken some of their online learning techniques into the classroom.
Jake still enjoys pursuing his own music and is currently learning cello at his school.
"I sit in with the kids and learn with them," he says. "It's a lot of fun."
Learning a new instrument also helps in his own teaching, a career he can't recommend highly enough.
"I have a lot of friends from uni who have those moments where the gigs aren't happening and then I get a lot of messages asking me what teaching is like," he says, adding that he always explains how much he enjoys it.
"It's certainly one of those careers people are looking at because it's rewarding," he says. "That's why I stay with it. By teaching, you get to be an important part of someone's life, especially in secondary school. You wonder what they are going to be like when they are older, and you get to watch that awkward transition. It reminds you of how awkward you were."
Priya Davidson, 40, computer engineer turned high school teacher
Moving from India to Australia in 2003, Priya came to study?a Masters in Information Systems and pursued her career in the computer industry.?Prior to her move, Priya?completed a four-year Bachelor's Degree in?Computer Engineering in India.?
?"I?was interested in?databases as I love?planning and organising," she tells 9Honey. "I'm qualified in?object-oriented programming and database?management,?but due to my interest,?became specialised in?database and its applications along with becoming a Microsoft Certified professional."?
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"There was a global shift from in-house database management to online systems, and businesses?in Australia?also started to accept that shift," she explains of her early career. "Even the big banks were making the move, and the company I was working for also decided to move, hence I was introduced to Salesforce.com platform."
While it was challenging work, Priya enjoyed every bit of it, as there wasn't any dull moments. She found a full-time role by 2007 and stayed there for most of her computer engineering career.
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Her husband Gareth, 45, whom she met in 2005 and?married in 2007, also works in the field of computing. The couple met during their uni days when she was working in a cafe, part-time, while studying in Australia.
"With both of us working in IT and starting a family, it?started to become quite stressful," she says. "I was managing?the?IT services including the liaising with external service providers and if anything went down I?would be contacted regardless of any holidays or leave."
She had two children, now aged 10 and 7, and Priya found herself desperately wanting her work to allow quality family time.
"We faced?quite a few challenges?in caring for our older one," Priya says. "To help myself I started attending parenting classes, or perhaps anything that would remotely be able to assist in any way."
Their eldest was eventually diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). With that diagnosis came knowledge. Priya was able to learn exactly what her son needed and everything she has learned when it comes to helping her son has made for a much better teacher.
"Parenting classes exposed me to how many people out there need support," she says. "They shifted my thinking."
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She considered?working as a Community Support worker to help other families,?but decided to study?Master of Teaching as it would allow her to use her existing skills and experience.?Upon finishing her teaching qualification, Priya?began working as a high school teacher.
"I get comments from students who tell me my class is so different as they are able to connect with the new learning," Priya says. "I make them think outside of the box but at the same time make sure they never feel disrespected and are?treated equally."
She admits to finding online learning during lockdown challenging.
"You have to be a different person when teaching online as you need to consider [the] wellbeing of students who are behind the screen," she says. "You have to make sure that your presence is happy, inspiring and uplifting as some students may struggle due to isolation."
She found that sharing some of her lockdown struggles?with her students helped, and they?were able to connect?despite not being in a physical classroom.
"During this recent?lockdown I didn't have any energy left," she admits. "I didn't lie to my?students or hide my personal feelings,?but kept my spirits high.?My students respected that I was honest and, in return, they shared their genuine views about how they were feeling."
They were able to get through it together.
"Online learning is challenging for teachers as you are not able to perform observations and informal assessments to gain an understanding of students learning and their engagement levels. You have to come up with different strategies to assess student learning. There is a lot of support available for teachers from fellow teachers, other colleagues at school, and the department of education," she says.
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"If you are considering changing careers, especially teaching, you just need to be open-minded and ask for help," she says. "It is dynamic and changes every day."
Like Jake, Priya finds the work ultimately rewarding.
"I guess any work that helps our community is rewarding but teaching in itself, seeing the younger generation flourishing and being part of their lives as they learn something new, gives me a fulfilling satisfaction."
Jake and Priya are sharing their stories for the Teach The Future campaign. Find out more about pursuing a career in teaching by visiting the vic.gov.au/teachthefuture website.
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