This task was extremely interesting and a valuable experience for me because it allowed me to research extensively in to what life is like in rural communities and schools in an area that I had not previously considered as an option for rural employment.
Originally, when considering this assignment I thought I would choose an area such as the Mid-West or South West of Western Australia because those are the areas I would be most comfortable and most familiar with as a place of possible employment after graduating. When I was partnered with Grace she had already chosen a specific town and completed some basic research on that location so we decided that we would work on the Pilbara region. I had always considered this region to be too remote and have not enough facilities for me to feel comfortable living and working there, however, when I researched the towns of Paraburdoo, Tom Price and Newman in more detail I realised that my previous assumptions were incorrect. While Paraburdoo is a very remote area, in my research I discovered the strong sense of connection within the community as well as many facilities and recreational clubs that would make life in Paraburdoo very comfortable and welcoming. My research into Paraburdoo Primary School also confirmed this, especially the Youtube video made by the teachers at the school which was very informative and demonstrated the strong bonds formed between staff members. I believe that this is what pre-service teachers, such as myself, need to know about rural and remote communities and I tried to reflect this in the assignment. I have come to the conclusion that although it would be very daunting to move to a remote area with no family or friends, it would be the community and new friends along the way that would make living and working there a very rewarding experience – all you’d have to do is embrace it.
Working with Grace for this assignment was very easy and ran quite smoothly. We communicated frequently by email and we organised two meetings that took place in the EDFAA Library during the research phase of the assignment. I believe that we both brought valuable qualities to the team which made the assignment easy to complete together, Grace is lucky enough to have a friend living in the Pilbara who we could contact if we had any specific questions and I was able to reflect on my experiences from the Rural Field Trip to provide some insight into what rural communities were actually like. The only problem that Grace and I encountered while completing this task was that our different busy schedules made it hard to meet in person more than twice and it also meant that we were focused on the task at different times as the other tried to cope with other assignments and issues that came up. Obviously, this can be the case when working on an assignment as a team but I believe that Grace and I handled it very well. We chose to divide the work between us so that it would be easier to focus on our own separate parts when we had time in our schedule, although we always stayed in contact and I never felt as though I was working alone or didn’t know what step Grace was up to.
I believe that our simulation of a town in the Pilbara region accurately reflects what life is like in the schools and communities of that area. I think it will provide other pre-service teachers a window into life and work in the Pilbara region, specifically the towns of Paraburdoo, Tom Price and Newman.
Originally, when considering this assignment I thought I would choose an area such as the Mid-West or South West of Western Australia because those are the areas I would be most comfortable and most familiar with as a place of possible employment after graduating. When I was partnered with Grace she had already chosen a specific town and completed some basic research on that location so we decided that we would work on the Pilbara region. I had always considered this region to be too remote and have not enough facilities for me to feel comfortable living and working there, however, when I researched the towns of Paraburdoo, Tom Price and Newman in more detail I realised that my previous assumptions were incorrect. While Paraburdoo is a very remote area, in my research I discovered the strong sense of connection within the community as well as many facilities and recreational clubs that would make life in Paraburdoo very comfortable and welcoming. My research into Paraburdoo Primary School also confirmed this, especially the Youtube video made by the teachers at the school which was very informative and demonstrated the strong bonds formed between staff members. I believe that this is what pre-service teachers, such as myself, need to know about rural and remote communities and I tried to reflect this in the assignment. I have come to the conclusion that although it would be very daunting to move to a remote area with no family or friends, it would be the community and new friends along the way that would make living and working there a very rewarding experience – all you’d have to do is embrace it.
Working with Grace for this assignment was very easy and ran quite smoothly. We communicated frequently by email and we organised two meetings that took place in the EDFAA Library during the research phase of the assignment. I believe that we both brought valuable qualities to the team which made the assignment easy to complete together, Grace is lucky enough to have a friend living in the Pilbara who we could contact if we had any specific questions and I was able to reflect on my experiences from the Rural Field Trip to provide some insight into what rural communities were actually like. The only problem that Grace and I encountered while completing this task was that our different busy schedules made it hard to meet in person more than twice and it also meant that we were focused on the task at different times as the other tried to cope with other assignments and issues that came up. Obviously, this can be the case when working on an assignment as a team but I believe that Grace and I handled it very well. We chose to divide the work between us so that it would be easier to focus on our own separate parts when we had time in our schedule, although we always stayed in contact and I never felt as though I was working alone or didn’t know what step Grace was up to.
I believe that our simulation of a town in the Pilbara region accurately reflects what life is like in the schools and communities of that area. I think it will provide other pre-service teachers a window into life and work in the Pilbara region, specifically the towns of Paraburdoo, Tom Price and Newman.