Lessons from Australia: A Teacher's Journey

This time last year, I had the opportunity to embark on an adventure of a lifetime. As the official chaperone for my high school here in Kansas City, Notre Dame de Sion, I shepherded eight teenagers across the Pacific Ocean to stay with families who attend our sister school in Melbourne, Australia. We stayed for the entire month of July, and for the first time in my own life, I kept something of a legitimate diary. It's clear to me as I reread the "daily chirps" from this pale green journal and browse a seemingly endless array of photos on my phone and camera that I learned and lived so much through this experience, which feels like a series is necessary. First up: all the things learned and experienced from an educator's perspective.

The first lesson? Adventure is out there (and it's always an educational opportunity).

My first entry reads "July 8? 9?" as the headline.

I write from the 747, several hours into the flight, probably somewhere beyond Hawaii but before Singapore. We left Kansas City on Sunday and were to set foot in Melbourne on Tuesday morning, effectively fast-forwarding time and warping the seasons. I am quite an adventurer, and I love to travel. I hope to see the world as much as I can as I navigate through life. Still, I had some nerves before heading out.

I know even before I left that I had many sessions with my therapist about it. I wasn't stressed about the travel itself, but instead about the sacrifice I was making to my summer. As a teacher, especially one who worked throughout June to finish the yearbook and travel to journalism camp with students (right before we left for Australia, I had taken a group of kiddos to Dallas, TX for a student leadership trip), I valued my July. Knowing that I love adventure, I took the risk, albeit with some reservations. That's how I found myself up in the sky, sleep deprived and nervous-excited, already at least 24 hours into the journey (but who can keep track with a +15 hour time change in the mix?), waiting for the real moment our antics would begin. The journal reads:

"I've gotten used to sitting in the unknown for the sake of adventure. Even now, I'll make sure the kids get where they need to go, and I'm not sure what my situation is - just that I have to have some faith and endurance to head to Sydney for the weekend on my own. And some additional faith that I'll be taken care of and that I'm capable of navigating a foreign country by myself. Good thing it's English-speaking... I hope to ignite some childlike wonder on this trip.

The girls are so good. They have their own excitements and worries, but they are here and they get along. I've watched them offer supplies, a helping hand, and an encouraging remark to one another as well as to strangers since we left home. I find myself with a certain level of serenity around the students. Listening as they chat, taking a backstage role, and just letting them have their own once-in-a-lifetime experience that they process in their own ways. This mentality is freeing."

I have a firm belief that kids learn best by doing. Trial by fire is scary, but with the right support and encouragement, success is on the horizon. I also believe that travel is one of the most immersive learning experiences one can have if you're open to leaps of faith and getting out there for the sake of getting out there. There's so much culture and connection on this big ole planet, and I think seeking it out if you can is a worthy endeavor. Some kids may have been there for the "vacation," but there's simply no way you could live in a spot for four weeks and not learn a single thing, even if you end up learning more about yourself.

Next lesson: Uniforms aren't universal

In Kansas City at Notre Dame de Sion High School, where I both taught and attended as a teenager, students are expected to wear uniforms. Personally, I loved it. I came from a public elementary and middle school where I definitely noticed the "cool kids" wore certain styles, and I wore my soccer warm-ups to school every day (noticeably not "cool"). Middle school seems a universal struggle for all, but agonizing over which ill-fitting skinny jeans and band t-shirt to wear while feeling deeply uncomfortable in any social situation anyway feels a bit like a waste of energy.

When I got to Sion and was told I'd wear a white polo (essentially a t-shirt with a collar) and gray kilt every day for four years, I was pumped. By senior year, I had it down. I slept in my polo, sports bra, and the gym shorts I wore underneath my kilt; I kept my skirts in my car, so all I had to do was wake up, brush my teeth, grab a granola bar, tie my shoes, and I was on my way to school. Plus, everyone was wearing the same thing in the same ratty ponytails, and really, I had minor complaints. The rules weren't that strict (except the fact that for some reason we had to carry bags instead of backpacks and the one time they tried to police us from wearing neon colored bras underneath the white shirts - as if you could stop us from wearing that). I liked that I could simply...go to school.

In the over 10 years since I attended Sion, the uniform hasn't changed much. You are allowed to wear backpacks now, and the style of the gray skirts has changed only slightly. The sweaters are black with the insignia instead of navy, but really, there's nothing to complain about, especially after visiting Our Lady of Sion College (in Australia, "college" refers to high school and "university" is more standard for higher learning institutions).

A collection of students in their Sion College-issued uniforms.

From required ponytails for long hair and formal blazers down to uniform tights and standardized shoes, Melbourne's uniform requirements are something else.

• No unnatural hair dye

• No makeup whatsoever (I wonder what they'd say about those acne Star patches...?)

• Only studs or small hoops are allowed in the ears

• Absolutely no facial piercings or tattoos

• Tucked-in polos

• Tailored sweaters or sweater vests

• Winter blazers

• Scarves

• Black tights or uniform-tailored dress pants

• Fitted black standardized dress shoes

• Long hair must be tied back

This is the winter wardrobe uniform. There's another set of requirements for summer (including a fabulous summer hat that reminds me of the "Madeline" books from childhood).

You may notice that my students, affectionately grouped as "The Americans," have United States pins on their jackets. This was essentially to signal to the faculty that they aren't students enrolled in the courses or earning grades, and that it was okay if their uniforms were a little wonky (we were borrowing, after all) or if they excused themselves to utilize the time difference and call their families during school hours.

Greta and her hostess off to class in the athletic uniform option.

In addition to the seasonal daily uniforms, there's also an athletic uniform option, which I actually thought was pretty cool. Students can only wear this option if they have a P.E. class or a school-sponsored sporting event during the day, and teachers will check to make sure you do, or write you up because you don't.

That's the difference I noticed between Australia and the States, as far as uniforms go. The Sion College teachers always seemed to be on the same page regarding rule enforcement, and the students either rebelled and took the punishment or wore what they were supposed to.

Here in the States, the uniform in general is a bit more relaxed, and there's so much going on in the hectic day that enforcement varies from teacher to teacher or from day to day. Students in the States also often feel that there must be a substantial reason for the enforcement of a rule or uniform policy they don't like, and they'll have the gumption to push back.

I am sure my posse of eight came back to Sion in KC and were grateful for the return to relaxed guidelines because, really, we can't complain when provided with a direct comparison.

It was neat, though, using the public transportation around the time when schools would let out, because it seems like most schools use uniforms in Australia, not just Our Lady of Sion. Around 3 o'clock, middle schoolers and teenagers alike would flood the trains in various colors of plaid and layers of sweaters with big crests printed on the front. Some groups wore green and grey, some red and gold, some hopped on in shades of blue. It felt like Hogwarts, if wizarding school were downtown and all four houses let out of potions all at the same time. Call me Professor Val.

Lesson 3: Adventures in Curriculum

Of course, as an educator, I sat in on a few classes while there. The school accommodates years 7-12, and they don't use terms like "freshman" or "senior" but instead refer to grade level numbers for identification. I was able to sit in on a theology class, a history lesson, and a communications lecture.

"I got to see Jenn again today. She was the chaperone visiting America with her students last year. She's a theology teacher, so I sat in on her Year 9 class. They were discussing "evil." She introduced me at the top of class and asked if the students (14-year-olds) had any questions for me about the States. Absolutely every question was about food and it cracked me up.

"Is the food good?"

"Have you been to Raising Cain's?"

"What is Chic-Fil-A like?"

It was hilarious. But it makes sense. They' don't have fast food like we do. I've only seen Subway and McDonald's since I got here. There's a large Asian immigrant community here, so there are tons of Chinese/Korean/Vietnamese restaurants, but there's a distinct lack of barbecue and Mexican options. And, apparently, fried chicken options."

I love the energy of a freshman (or Year 9) classroom. They were silly and excited to know that I have indeed been to both Raising Cain's and Chic-Fil-A and that the sauces at both are "totally bussin'." After the bell rang on that lesson, I headed to a history class where the subject was strictly studying revolutions. At the time, they were covering the American Revolution. Thank God it was a Year 12 class and they just hunkered in and started learning, because I was not prepared to answer any topical questions on the subject.

I sat there and listened and ruminated on my experience as someone from a "superpower" traveling the world. I think we often don't discuss what this means in the current day. I remember learning the term when it referred to Great Britain and colonization, and the American Revolution. I remember reading more about the term when learning about the World Wars. In school, it all felt so distant, so clerical. But here I was, sitting in a school in Box Hill, Australia, listening to a fabulous teacher nail the details of a war that founded my country, knowing that I never learned any Australian history whatsoever back home. I felt almost...guilty, like I should be a better, more educated citizen of the world.

After that class period, another teacher, Beth, whisked me away to another part of the school to where she led an upper-level media class on communication theory.

"It took me straight back to my master's studies. They covered Agenda Setting Theory, and I'm 95% sure I studied that in grad school. I loved it. She used examples from Australian news events and it was fascinating to have an insight into another country's news media.

The topic was heavy. They discussed violence against women and used headlines of murders and crime events from 2024. As far as coverage in the news, it seems similar in Australia to the techniques our media uses. Things like humanizing the murderer or publishing things that don't protect the families or hinder the justice system from functioning properly. The whole lesson took me back to learning about communication and media perception as a science, albeit a social science. I was so inspired by this class."

Lesson 4: The Magic of a Real School Library

It wasn't all so serious when visiting the school. I'd collect the American girls and take them out of classes to hang out. We spent the last class period of many days together in the library.

They had a library. Like a real one with updated fiction sections, manga graphic novels, and 3D printers. The whole space is overseen by a tag team of two or three librarians and teachers who come in for classes and lessons.

I oohed and awed at everything in there, and I think I may have even broken the hearts of some of the librarians when I informed them that we don't have a school library at the Sion in the States.

It breaks my heart, too. I grew up going to libraries, and I was a total bookworm throughout my schooling. Sion had a library when I attended as a student, though it was not kept super up-to-date with the latest teen fiction.

When the school began construction for updated STEM classrooms a few years ago, the library was sacrificed.

It was so nice to witness a living library and watch it function inside a school. It felt right, and it seemed almost painful to leave and know that we have more of a "media space" than an actual library to come back to in America. I wish I had taken more pictures of it, but pictures don't do a library justice.

Lesson 5: What's a Nutbush?

The Nutbush is a line dance to Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits" - apparently a popular Australian go-to. I know this because July 19, halfway through the second leg of the trip, I attended and chaperoned the 11th Year Formal.

On the left, a group of faculty and staff together at the dance. On the right, myself and my group of eight American students.

It's essentially their prom, but in the middle of the winter term. After talking to some teachers, I realized that the school (which, again, accommodates grades 7-12) only hosts two formals each year - one for the 11th years, and one Graduation Ball for the 12th years.

I thought about going to a high school for six years knowing I only got two dances the entire time, and that feels wild to me. Back in the states, we've got fall Homecoming for sophomores and up, Winter Formal for all grades, and Prom for juniors and seniors every year. It's certainly a culture shift.

"They dance between courses? So we were served our first palce and then everyone got up to go to the photo booth or the dance floor. Then they're called back for the entree, then they go back out, then come back for dessert, then they do awards and a last dance."

I noticed most kids were having a blast. The DJ was terrible and played club music that no one knew or could sing along to, but despite that, the girls got out there. I learned that Mary is a unit on the dance floor, and everyone looked beautiful. I would get introduced to someone's date, usually a young man with a sloppy, curly mohawk mullet, which we dubbed the "Patrick Mahomes." At some point, I was informed about and forced to participate in the Nutbush line dance. It wasn't too complicated, and it was the only song the DJ played that folks even recognized.

I know those kids will have stories to tell about this formal for years to come. Likely, they have more stories to tell about the insane after parties, but I firmly held my fingers in my ears and sang "la la la la" were they to discuss those details in my presence. I will always be there for safety and support, but some things your teacher simply does not need to know.

The "American Girls" on our field trip around downtown at the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium

I could go on and on about my experience in Australia. And over time, in a series, I think I will. For now, here are the first few tidbits.