Sharon Brown’s connection to St James’ Primary School began before she was old enough to properly hold a pencil.
At four years old, with 11 kids in her year, Mrs Brown arrived at the school as one of its youngest students.
As the family story goes, her early enrolment helped keep its doors open at a time when numbers had dwindled.
Now, after 26 years teaching there and 40 years in the profession, she leaves behind a legacy that stretches from the classroom she once sat in to the students she helped inspire.
“They sort of promised mum they’d look after me, so I started school when I was four,” Mrs Brown said.
“They didn’t quite have the numbers to stay open, so I was that one that sort of made it across the line.”
In 1969, Mrs Brown was one of six children and St James’ was located at Garden Suburb. As the area grew, so too did the need for bigger grounds.
The new school and church was built at Kotara South, by none other than Mrs Brown’s uncles. The priest was her second cousin, Father Jim Doran.
“I was the school captain there, so it all becomes part of who you are,” Mrs Brown said.
In 2000, Mrs Brown returned to her old stomping ground, this time as a learning support teacher before later taking on a classroom role.
“I always wanted to be a teacher from when I was a kid, Mum said it was because I was bossy,” Mrs Brown said.
“I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I loved the kids and I think the wellness part of the kids’ lives was really important in my teaching.
“School had to be their safe place, I used to say to kids that it was not their job to worry, if they had a concern or something wasn’t working, tell me, because it was an adult’s job to worry, fix it and help get things right.”
During her time at the school, Mrs Brown stepped into leadership roles including acting primary coordinator, acting religious education coordinator and acting assistant principal.
While curriculums, classroom sizes and challenges have changed, one thing remained constant for Mrs Brown: how well she looked after the kids.
“I actually got a phone call from a child, probably three years ago now, who somehow tracked down my phone number,” Mrs Brown said.
“All she said was, ‘I just want to say thank you, you made me feel very safe at school’.”
For all the lessons Mrs Brown delivered inside the classroom, it was the lessons she learned from her students that stayed with her the longest.
She said working closely with children and families had taught her to look for the story behind a person’s behaviour, rather than rushing to judgement.
“I know sometimes when something happens, I quite often say to my kids, or my friends, ‘I wonder what happened for that to happen’,” she said.
“You get a lot of empathy for what goes on in people’s lives.”
Mrs Brown said she hopes her students remember her as someone who was approachable, willing to help and “had their back”.
Her advice to future teachers: “Remember it’s not a nine-to-five job.”
“Always look after that wellness side, because that’s when the academics come,” she said.
Even after all these years, Mrs Brown said St James’ has never lost its “family feel”.
“I loved my time at St James’,” she said.
“I knew it was time, it’s something I will miss but I am so looking forward to spending more time with my family.”
Find article here: Sharon Brown: 26 years teaching at St James’ Primary ends | Newcastle Herald | Newcastle, NSW
