Lecturer Spotlight: Maggie Clarke

Dr Maggie Clarke works in the Master of Teaching secondary program and coordinates the core unit Introduction to Teaching and Learning, which usually has a cohort of around 550 to 600 students. She also teaches in the Master of Education program and is the Unit Coordinator for the Independent Study Unit and Evaluating Learning Programs Unit. Maggie won the Vice-Chancellor's Excellence in Teaching Award in 2012.

What was your first job?
My first job was as a teacher in a secondary school in Western Sydney.

What do you love most about teaching?
I find teaching inspirational – the enthusiasm students show when they are learning and the professional bonds you make with students as a teacher can’t be replicated in other professions.

What will we find you doing when you are not at UWS?
I have many hobbies, including travelling around the world and then scrapbooking my photos and writing about where I have been and the experiences I have had while travelling.

I am passionate about…
I have been teaching since 1979. I began teaching in a secondary school and have been teaching at UWS since 1997. That is a total of 33 years teaching and I still love every single day teaching my students!

Best advice you have ever received?
“Look for the best in every student you teach, as everyone has something ‘good’ about them.” Just one small word of encouragement can make the world of difference to someone.