in the classroom
Principal Woods during Science class , his favourite lesson of the day . Picture : Supplied / ACC Hume
That ’ s basically two extra hours of energy spent , on top of lessons ,” Mr Woods noted .
“ Out-of-town students make up a significant percentage of our student population and I suspect the proportion will only grow over the coming years , so this needs to be an area of attention .”
During reflection time , Mr Woods said he identified minor changes that would make a big difference to students to zero-in on their growth and learning . Opportunities he outlined included :
• Keeping in mind the lower emotional maturity level of students , and understanding how student relationships differ from adult relationships
• Implementing teacher training about understanding student ’ s emotional intelligence level ; as well as finding opportunities to add learning about relationships and resilience to their curriculum
• Improving the accessibility of subjects , in terms of lesson content and length , for students who aren ’ t naturally interested in particular subjects
• Further supporting students who travel via long bus rides to school , and exert sometimes hours of extra energy during their commute
• Looking for opportunities to conduct more lessons outside , to take advantage of the change of scenery and fresh air
• Redirecting energy from improving academic outcomes to improving school ‘ intangibles ’ The ACC is a group of 12 Christian schools across five states that run on-campus and online . Its Hume secondary school is new , with its first year 12 cohort graduating in 2026 .
“ One of the main reasons that I chose to engage in this initiative is that our school is in the unique position where we are building our secondary school from the ground up . We are in the position to create the high school that
Principal Woods with students at lunchtime . Picture : Supplied / ACC Hume
we want , not just maintain the high school that we have ,” Mr Woods said .
“ We don ’ t want to blindly follow outdated models , but meet the specific needs of our modern students .”
Overall , the principal said the learning experience was useful and reflected that the school ’ s classrooms are “ conducive to learning ”.
“ It ’ s eye-opening for me to be in the classroom from a student point of view and see if there are any practical things we can do to enhance the learning environment ,” he said .
“ By experiencing Josh ’ s journey firsthand , I ’ ll be better equipped to lead and support the students in meaningful ways .” ■
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