St Thomas Aquinas Teaching Schools program celebrates first graduate
By Josh Low
The end of 2022 saw Catholic Education Tasmania celebrate its first ever graduate, Jacob Wootton, from the St Thomas Aquinas Teaching Schools (STATS) Teacher Cadet program.
After putting in two years of hard work to complete his studies, Mr Wootton commenced the school year in February as a fully-fledged teacher in Catholic education.
St Thomas Aquinas Teaching Schools Director Kathy Gaskin said Mr Wootton’s graduation was an extremely proud moment for everyone involved in the program.
“He is part of that first wave of cadets who have come through and have stuck to the program, gained a lot from it and was able to get a job well before the end of last year.
“He’s got an incredible mind, loves talking about the faith, has a deep spiritual life and is a great role model.
The aim of the St Thomas Aquinas Teaching Schools is to grow the number of teachers with a strong grounding in the faith for Catholic education for the future.
“A very important part of our goal is that the teachers have a good knowledge of their subject content, a good knowledge on how to teach, and most importantly, a good knowledge of the faith,” she said.
“Like every other subject, subject knowledge is important, so religious literacy and growth in prayer life and so forth is paramount to being a good teacher in Catholic education.”
Now in his role at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Geeveston, Mr Wootton said it is a great honour to have been the first person to complete the program successfully.
“From the very beginning of the program, I experienced the realities of real-life teaching,” he said.
“It wasn’t this abstract thing you’re learning about from a textbook at uni. I was in a classroom leading small groups, planning lessons, helping the teacher, and got to see firsthand what school life is like.
“The practical experience was hugely beneficial and was a major attraction for me, giving me a good grounding for the role I’m currently in.”
Mr Wootton said he had always wanted to become a teacher, specifically in Catholic education.
What the St Thomas Aquinas Teaching School offered from a faith-based perspective played a vital role in his joining the program.
“As a Catholic myself, I wanted to join Catholic education in particular – to put my faith into action and to spread the Gospel where I can and hopefully to help raise future saints.”
The St Thomas Aquinas Teaching Schools program involved weekly insight sessions by various speakers on a range of Catholic topics, with participants able to engage in theological discussion or conversation.
“We were in the hands of experts in the field who covered aspects of my faith I hadn’t realised or discovered.
“It enabled us to grow in our faith, helped us to live it out more deeply and equipped us so as to transmit the faith better to students,” he explained.
“One thing I noticed was – some people get a little intimidated by joining a program like this on the grounds of not being a theologian or priest or nun, but you’re left in really good hands.
“The people who teach you and work with you meet you where you’re at.
“That is something I’ve learnt from the program that I’m trying to replicate in my role now – in this largely secular age and non-churched classrooms, to meet the students where they’re at, not make too many assumptions and help them at the level that they need; not talking over them but walking alongside them on their journey to hopefully draw them into a deeper understanding of the faith,” he said.
With great interest in both the north and south of Tasmania, and with cadets in more than 20 Catholic schools across the state, the STATS program is growing.
“Looking at how successfully the program has worked and how much the other cadets are enjoying their learning and progress, I’m sure I’m just one of the many to come,” Mr Wootton concluded.