Teacher Tag: Ms Foster
Interviewed by Ruwan Jinadasa and Mily Gu
Teacher Tag
Ms Foster
Interviewed by Ruwan Jinadasa and Mily Gu
Wearing a very fashionable mask, Ms Foster is University High School’s new principal. Get to know her in this article!
I: What are you looking forward to at uni high?
Ms Foster: Oh wow, lots of things, I applied for the job at Uni High because it was a school that really aligned with my values. I think that schools should be places where everybody has opportunities and where your learning not just to get a high mark or you know, but your learning because learning and being curious is part of being a good citizen, and I could really see that at Uni High, and to have an approach to learning that isn’t just bout the marks but to being able to think and engage and make a difference in the world so that’s why I came here.
What I am looking forward to in the short term is getting to know people, and getting to know all of the staff and all of the students as well. That’s a little bit of a challenge working off site but I’m working on it! Haha But in the long term I’m looking forward to making sure as a community, we are all living our values together and that we are all being the very best we can be. So that might mean the type of learning we do, and yo know there are always better ways that you can do things so I am looking forward to that! And that’s what I love about schools is getting all of these different views, opinions, needs and experiences and bringing them together for something that supports one another.
I: What are some differences between Uni High and your previous school?
Ms Foster: So my previous school was Northcote High, so it’s not very far away, and it’s a little bit bigger than Uni High. It’s a little bit like Uni High as we got this beautiful history and this lovely old building and Northcote’s a little like that. I think some differences are that I think there is a lot more cultural diversity here at Uni High, and you know Northcote is an inner city area, it’s a bit more homogenous so I really like that about Uni High, that theres this really amazing mix. I also love how Uni High is so connected to the local universities and their communities which is also similar to Northcote.
I: What was your favourite subject in school?
Ms Foster: Hehe good question! My favourite subject was a tie between english and International Studies (which doesn’t run anymore, but is like global politics).
I: Did you do any languages?
Ms Foster: Yeah actually! I learnt french up until year 11. You know whats funny, I just had an email from a year 10 student at Northcote and she was asking me what I thought of her subjects and she had been learning french and was going to drop and I said to her in that email was that my one regret about my education was that I dropped french, and I’ve since tried to pick it up again and learn it but it’s harder! And I think I did it because I was scared that I wouldn’t do very well and I was really confident with the reading and writing but I was really scared of doing the oral presentations, and I just had in my head “I can’t do it” “I won’t do well in the oral”, and looking back now, I just think I should’ve been brave! I wish I had been a bit braver and a bit more resilient and being prepared to struggle and work hard for it.
I: What was your dream job when you were in school? Did you always know that you wanted to be a teacher or principal?
Ms Foster: No actually, so when I was in high school, I wanted to be a lawyer. Haha, and I was really determined to do it. I did debating, I loved debating and yeah I just thought that’s what I want to do. I was really interested in the world and politics as well as languages so I thought “Oh yeah law is a good option for that”. When I finished year 12, I was happy with my results but I didn’t get into the course that I wanted, so I ended up doing arts and economics. I stuck with that for a couple of years and then I decide economics just wasn’t really suiting me so I switched back to doing just arts so I could go back to that literature and politics that I love. And then I was a chef!! Haha, yeah so no I didn’t dream of being a teacher, but I’m very very glad that I go to it.
I: Do you have any role models?
Ms Foster: Yeah lots! I think mostly my role models are people that I know and have worked with and people I have seen the way they lead or the way that they interact with people. And I think I sort of take bits in them that I admire. Like there was one principal that I worked with that was really amazing at having a big picture, and a vision and gluing all of the different pieces into one vision so she’s my role model for that side of things. There’s another principal that I worked with that was incredibly good at being human and being human. She was really good at bring out the best in people and being empathetic and understanding.
On a larger scale, I think I admire people that maintain integrity and that lead with their values and that have a strong vision. So examples like Obama, who have a real integrity and a vision, and I think that also people like, and I know that she has had her problems but, Julia Gillard, I think that she is genuinely value driven. I think that there are structural things in the world that disadvantage women and people of colour and many other things and so I admire people who are able to break thorough those barriers.
I: Yeahh That’s really cool. On a lighter note, do you have any favourite artists or songs that you are currently obsessed with?
Ms Foster: Oh my goodness yes, I am more of a rock music person (YES, we have no choice but to stan), so usually I like some good driving guitar and drums and I love Australian Rock so I can’t wait until I can go back and see concerts and gigues again. But I have just watched Hamilton on Disney plus and I am obsessed with it. I’ve watched it twice, I’ve listened to the soundtrack about 5 times (iconic) and I’ve literally had it in my head all week. I’ve been walking around singing snippets from hamilton so that’s my current obsession!
LIN
I: So I’m guessing that one of your favourite musicals now?
Ms Foster: Yeah it is. I like some musicals and I love going to school musicals and seeing students on stage and performing but musicals aren’t really my thing of choice. Like I don’t rush to see musicals I usually go and see plays or ballet but I’m converted!.
I: Oooh Do you have a favourite ballet?
Ms Foster: Ooh yes swan lake (same)
I: Also you said you were a chef before, do you have any favourite dishes to make?
Ms Foster: Well I like making pasta and playing with different ways when making pasta. There’s a Spanish dish called Prawns a La Plancha which bis just pretty much where you just get some prawns that you really caramelised and put a whole heap or oil and garlic into it and then a whole heap of parsley. Yeah I like food like that brings out a few simple ingredients really well.
I: Where are some places you have travelled before?
Ms Foster: In Australia, I have lived in Melbourne, Sydney and in Perth, and travelled through Canberra and South Australia and bits of Western Australia and Tasmania and stuff like that. Overseas, I spent a year living in Italy and while I was there I got to travel to Germany, Czech Slovakia, France, England and I also spent time in Vietnam, in South Korea. I actually did my teaching rounds in South Korea! I have also travelled to china and the us haha.
I: What’s your favourite book that you would recommend to students?
Ms Foster: Oooh yess. Do you see the picture of my cat on my wall?
(I was too blind to be able to see that far oop)
Well his name is Richard parker and he’s called that because there’s a book called “The Life of Pi” and Richard Parker is a tiger and so that’s one of my favourites.
I: What’s the best advice you think you could give to a student generally?
Ms Foster: The best advice I can give is to, do the things that bring you joy. So choose subjects that bring you joy and that you love doing because you will always do better in those. And to not be scared to make mistakes because that’s where we learn.
I: Final questions, who do you tag next?
Ms Foster: Ooooh, I tag mr Tiernan!!
Thank you to Ms Foster for taking the time to let us interview her and we can’t wait to see her plans for the school!
If you have an questions that you want us to ask teachers next, make sure to comment down below!!