"... more personal, more dynamic" - CJ Sharma
Find out more about studying Teaching at UWS.
C.J Sharma, Master of Teaching (Primary)
C.J is playing the cymbals as part of a band sitting in a semicircle on the classroom floor and looks as if he’s thoroughly enjoying it as he claps them together vigorously.
He’s part of a group of students who are MMADD – ‘Mad About the Arts’. This UWS project brings music, media, arts, drama and dance into primary schools to enliven education fundamentals like literacy and numeracy.
Today the students are retelling an Indian story about rainbows with UWS’ Deirdre Russell-Bowie in music, drama and dance. There’s a swirl of coloured ribbons as the story unfolds.
This innovative approach to teaching is one of the reasons why C.J chose UWS.
“I believe UWS is a young university and one which offers fresh ideas, unlike the other universities which are older systems,” he says.
As a Bachelor of Arts undergraduate studying History, Politics and Philosophy he was able to get a taste of teaching before committing to a Master of Teaching (Primary) by enrolling in the ‘MMADD’ program.
He worked at a primary school in Greenacre for 14 weeks integrating the arts across everyday lessons. It’s all part of the UWS learning through community engagement focus.
This opportunity to work in a classroom gave C.J the insight he needed to choose teaching as a career.
“Using the arts allows students to really grasp concepts they might not have been able to grasp before,” he says.
This celebration of the connection between creativity and education at UWS is invigorating for C.J. As a former student of Newtown Performing Arts High finding a university that nurtures creativity was important.
Intimacy was also important in his choice.
“There were a lot of possible choices of university around the city but once I went there I felt I am going to get lost in the crowd? It was a scary experience,” he says.
He visited UWS’s Bankstown campus and saw how intimate university could be.
“I love the fact that UWS lecturers are very knowledgeable and respected. My friends at other universities say ‘I emailed my lecturer last week and I haven’t got a response yet’. With my university I feel that if I send an email with a question, I’d get a response within a day or so. They’re always there for you.”
But perhaps most importantly for C.J was the opportunity to attend the university that supports the community where he grew up.
It’s also where he wants to work, supporting the flourishing creativity and innovation of Western Sydney.
