SENIOR SCHOOL
STAFF
PROFILE
A day in the life of
Dr Harris
Dr Julie Harris enjoys taking multi-tasking to the extreme ! Working across the Senior School , Preparatory School and Boarding , she provides valuable support for students and parents to help students achieve personal excellence .
There is no such thing as a typical day for Dr Harris , but a snapshot of a week in her schedule is below .
• Start the day with 8:00am appointment with Year 11 student needing help to create a study schedule or a parent seeking help with their child ’ s learning .
• Observe a lesson and provide feedback for an experienced teacher , a new teacher , or a prac student .
• Reply to emails . She receives up to 150 emails per day ! Fortunately she is a fast typist !
• Chatting via phone or in person to parents or students who may need support .
• Teaching – something she loves – depending on timetabling . In Term 1 she taught STRIVE Science . In 2018 she taught Let ’ s Go Digital for Year 7 . She has also taught Year 12 Maths , Year 7 French and Year 11 Biology .
• On Thursday ’ s after school she does a boarding shift in Senior Hall from 5:30pm-11:50pm . This involves eating dinner , supervising prep time ( study ), checking student diaries , tutoring or homework help and enjoying free time
“ I advise students not to assume that those who do well are more clever than you – a huge proportion of academic success depends on sheer hard work .”
with the students . Her superpower is sorting out wardrobes and folding clothes beautifully . She is actually surprised that most of the boarders have never heard of Marie Kondo !
• After school activities such as Board Game Club .
• On Fridays she spends all day at the Preparatory School , working in various classes . Last term she helped out with the Year 2 spelling assessment , taught plant science to Year 4 classes and worked with Kindergarten students on Science practicals involving bones , skeletons , hair and fingerprints . In Term 2 she ran some microbe practicals for the Year 6 Science course .
Dr Harris provides valuable support for parents and students to help develop effective study habits . “ I advise students not to assume that those who do well are more clever than you – a huge proportion of academic success depends on sheer hard work . Practice studying – it is a skill that requires lots of practice before you get good at it . Never give up . Lastly , talk to your teachers – they are your best source of advice .”
Outside of school Dr Harris kayaks every weekend and loves the peace of the river and the birdlife she sees . She also enjoys walking her dog and travelling . She spent the Easter holidays backpacking in Japan and had a fantastic time there !
Top 5 Tips for Effective Study :
• Organise yourself – make a realistic schedule and stick to it .
• Try lots of different study strategies and work out what works for you ( study buddy or alone ? Home or library ? Morning or evening ?) but whatever strategy you use , make sure it involves thinking deeply about what you ’ re revising – then it will stick .
• Choose subjects you love and make the most of every opportunity to learn .
• Show your study notes and work to your teachers – get feedback . Too many students ‘ forget ’ to do this .
• In the final throes of Years 11 and 12 , sit lots of past papers under timed conditions . The whole paper .
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