St. Mary’s High School is excited to welcome back Mrs. Steel as the new art teacher. Mrs Steel, who previously taught elementary art at St. Mary’s from 2000 to 2011, returns to guide high school students with her unique teaching philosophy. She believes that teachers should guide students to follow their passions and explore their interests. She explained that she aims to create an environment “where students learn for enjoyment and self-development rather than grades and straight A report cards”
Before returning to St. Mary’s, Mrs Steel taught at a public school in Perth, Western Australia. There, she was inspired by the diverse backgrounds of her students and enjoyed the challenge of helping them express their ideas through art. She especially appreciated the school’s excellent arts facilities, which allowed her students to work on multimedia projects, but she found discipline in the younger grades a challenge.
Mrs Steel’s educational journey began in a farming community in Australia, where she boarded a school far away from home and enjoyed sports and outdoor activities like horse riding. She grew up on a farm 120 km from Merredin and boarded in town for school. She enjoyed horse riding and playing sports with friends. After graduating at 17, she moved to Perth for university, but occasionally drove the 400 km back home to visit her family or help on the farm.
She is thrilled to be back at St. Mary’s and feels welcomed by the respectful and positive atmosphere. She hopes to foster creativity and self-expression in her students, just as she did in her previous roles. In her free time, Mrs Steel says “I love painting, travelling, snowboarding, hiking, reading, eating delicious food and watching good quality movies.” She looks forward to helping St. Mary’s students discover new ways to see the world through art.
