Duffy Stirling

I am secondary English teacher in a rural South Australian high school; I've been teaching for ten years. I teach all secondary year levels, but primarily Year 10 through to Senior School. I also teach Middle School History, Geography and Civics. I've also taught English as a Second Language in Japan and France. I am partway through a Masters of Education in Literacy and Digital Technologies.

I'm a constructivist teacher, with a focus on social justice. I teach mostly Australian working and lower class students, so engagement is a huge priority. Low literacy is now the norm, rather than the exception, so everything I produce is guided by increasing literacy where possible. Australian classes are rarely streamed, so differentiation within a class is also a huge focus. I grew up in a working class environment and understand what it means to function in a middle to upper class environment when you do not have access to the unwritten knowledge. My personal purpose for being a teacher is to help kids like me access as many opportunities as possible, and teaching the 'unwritten rules' is part of that. Travel, which always seemed unattainable when I was young, also has a huge influence on my teaching: I aim to inspire kids to realise that the rest of the world is very different (and that they should get out there and enjoy it!)

Certified 'Highly Accomplished Teacher' in 2015. Due for completion of Masters in 2021.

Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) in Psychology, second major in English. Bachelor of Education (Middle and Secondary). Masters of Education, due for completion in 2021.

Born and raised in the Southern suburbs of Adelaide; I now teach in a rural high school. At university I originally aimed for psychology, but after honours I found myself in Japan teaching ESL for two years. An education degree and another 10 month stint overseas later, I found myself teaching high school English and History. My blog can be found at: http://duffystirling.wordpress.com