Two top teachers

By Tania Martin
Kerry Winter and Melissa Stephens were last month named finalists in the 2009 NEiTA Inspirational Teaching Awards.
The pair were among 569 finalists selected from more than 1200 national nominations.
Ms Winter, 25, was left speechless following the nomination.
In just her second year of teaching she never expected such high praise.
“I was flabbergasted … it’s a real honour,” Ms Winter said.
Ms Winter said it was a bit ‘weird’ returning to her former school as a teacher, but she really loved it.
“It’s good to know the ins and outs of the school,” she said.
Ms Winter teaches music and a bit of Japanese.
Like most people, she didn’t always dream of becoming a teacher.
She had always been good at music and languages, which led her to education.
“I sort of fell into it and I love it,” Ms Winter said.
Ms Winter started learning music at a young age, but didn’t always enjoy it.
“My family is very musical and I had to learn an instrument and I hated it until I was a teenager,” she said.
But she soon grew to love it.
Ms Winter said she was constantly amazed by her student’s gift for music.
“Most of them are outstanding and I am often blown away by their raw talent,” she said.
Ms Stephens, 38, was nominated for her role in helping the students with their dance routines for the Rock Eisteddfod.
She has been teaching at Emerald for more than 13 years.
But Ms Stephens said the award nomination was a huge surprise.
“I was very flattered,” she said.
Ms Stephens not only teaches dance but also physical education and health studies,
Over the past few years, she has helped students develop their performance and leadership skills as part of the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge.
She was part of the team that helped the students take out the open division title in 2005 and third place in the Premer Division in 2007 and fourth, earlier this year.
Ms Stephens hadn’t always planned to be a teacher, but felt drawn to the profession.
“I was hoping to be a physiotherapist but switched to teaching,” she said.
Ms Stephens said dance has always been a passion and teaching was a great way to share it with others.