Finding she loved teaching young children when she took on a relief role at 19 years of age, Janene completed a certificate III and diploma at TAFE, before starting studies by distance education at UNE in 2000.
Living in the remote and isolated town of Karumba, Far North Queensland, and relying on the postal system to deliver her reading and assessment materials, was tough.
“I was 26 and had never been to university before. I failed my first assignment. I wondered how I could do this, how I could make it work, and with the encouragement of my husband, I gave it another go. With the help of my lecturer, I passed the assignment the second time, and did not look back!
“Studying remotely, I would receive envelopes full of the readings and assessments I needed to do, I worked through them and sent them back. You had to send the assessments by the set date and keep evidence to show when they had been sent. It’s very tricky when you’re in the Far North. It took a good week to 10 days each way by post. It was really quite challenging with no library or resources at hand, except what the university could provide and books I’d purchased.
I was very grateful that UNE enabled me the opportunity to be able to work and study in a remote place, but it was a real journey to figure out what university entailed. However, with persistence and dedication to the study, I ended up receiving some great grades.
Moving to Cairns in 2001, after she’d completed a Bachelor of Teaching in Early Childhood Education and while continuing to study a Bachelor of Education, Janene had more opportunity to connect with and access a library, resources and providers in the sector. But her first kindergarten teaching job was still very rustic.
“It was half an hour south of Cairns, and an educator and I would set up and pack up a space in the community hall to work with 22 children.”
In 2002, she had a daughter, and continued to work and study part-time by distance education.
The study journey was as hard at that point as it had been in the beginning, but she says it has all been worth it.
“If I hadn’t persevered, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
“Today’s students I work with – provisionally registered teachers and beginning to teach teachers – often struggle with simple things like reading a story, transitions, and behaviour management, so I saw myself as lucky to work in the sector before and while I did the degree to have that knowledge and experience behind me. But completing the degree laid the foundation to build my career on.
“From my experience, when you study, you learn about theories, best practices and how to, which you are able to put into practice when you are working with children. Understanding how children grow and learn means you can reflect and adjust your teaching to support that growth. It comes from knowledge and understanding. That’s what studying at UNE gave me.”
After working in “pretty much every role there is in early childhood education”, including 20 years as a kindergarten teacher, Janene began looking to change her role from teaching to management. She completed a Master of Education at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in 2019, to continue to grow her skills and knowledge to a higher level. Though still studying externally, she enjoyed the opportunity to study where she lived and worked, also made easier due to advances in technology.
Now in her management role, as Early Childhood Pedagogy Advisor in the South Coast and West Region, Queensland, for The Creche and Kindergarten Association, she enjoys supporting teachers to grow and learn and excel in their job working with children.
With 22 kindergartens in her zone, from the Gold Coast out to Dirranbandi on the NSW-QLD border, and up north to The Gap (north side of Brisbane), she clocks over 30,000 kilometres a year.
Janene says her remote learning experience prepared her well to cover such a large area in her job.
Studying remotely, you have to work independently, be organised, good with time management, and committed to the journey, and all those factors are things I put into practice today in this role.
Still passionate about the sector she has worked in now for over 30 years, Janene hopes to focus her attention more on growing and improving the sector as a whole.
“I want to get into research in this space, to advocate for improvements in the sector. There are real difficulties with staffing, work expectations, and there needs to be change.”
But she also wants to promote the benefits of working in early childhood education and care.
“We need educators who want to make a difference for young children and their trajectory, to meet children where they are and adjust to support them to grow and learn in a safe and welcoming environment,” she says.
“I want to encourage everyone to be brave to study because it does make a difference in who you will become and how you work with children.”
