STAFF IN PROFILE
Years 9 to 12 , with four students doing Year 12 at the time .
Until this year , I had been the Senior Subject Teacher of Italian , and having taught all levels of Italian as the only Italian teacher at Scotch for many years , it is wonderful to have Italian being offered from Year 7 , and that now there are five teachers of Italian in the department .
During the years , I have organised three Study Tours of Italy , two with the Art Department and one with Strathcona Girls ’ Grammar School . The fond memories of those three-week language and culture tours from which the students gained so much and thoroughly enjoyed , will always hold a very special place in my heart .
I also organised Italian Exchanges for students who were hosted by families in Verona and Bologna during the Australian summer break for six weeks , and their host brothers were hosted here at Scotch in the Italian summer during July and August . All the students who participated in the Exchange Program found this experience most enriching and rewarding .
Throughout the years I have also been a Tutor for Fleming House with all that the role entailed , and I have been involved in the basketball and table tennis sports programs . I have also participated in our Services Program by accompanying students visiting the elderly in nursing homes in the area , and by participating in the Food Immersion Program and the Academic Tutoring Program .
INTERVIEW :
VERA BIFANO
TEACHER OF ITALIAN
Let ’ s start with your background prior to working at Scotch . Firstly , I must say that I feel fortunate to have worked at Scotch for such a long time now , having begun teaching here in 2004 . My first teaching position was at Christian Brothers ’ College East St Kilda , where I taught Italian , French History and Christian Education ; and this year I actually teach Italian to the son of a parent to whom I also taught Italian when he was a student there in Year 7 .
After leading the Languages department there , I then moved on to Genazzano FCJ College at Kew . I remained at Genazzano for 17 years in full-time and part-time roles as my three daughters began their educational journey .
Please tell us about your role and the activities in which you have been involved at Scotch ?
In my first nine years at Scotch , I was the only Italian teacher . As Italian had only recently been introduced at Year 9 as a beginners ’ course , predominately for new students coming to Scotch , there was only a handful of students across the various year levels . There were around 34 students spanning
What generally constitutes some of the highlights of your week and keeps on motivating you ?
Highlights of my week and what keeps me loving teaching are the passion and interest I can generate with students . I love seeing the excitement of the students and their sense of achievement as they master the various milestones in language learning . I love igniting that spark of their interest in Italy and Italian , which I know will provide enrichment in their lives beyond the classroom .
What are some of your passions and hobbies ?
I have quite a few simple passions and hobbies , so I will just speak about a few of them . After years of going to the gym for fitness , I then discovered the world of dancing for fitness . I participate in five sessions a week , ranging from Latin to Pop , to Hip Hop and Contemporary . Do not get the idea that I am a good dancer , I just watch the instructor and try to copy . I ’ m rather hopeless , in fact , but it is a lot of fun !
I also love going on long , long walks along the beach on the Peninsula most weekends , or on the many tracks along the Yarra where I live , around Templestowe and Warrandyte . Anywhere where there is water , I love walking along .
My other passions are my garden and cooking . I find these very therapeutic . My little grandchildren – I have seven of them – love helping me . The fun times for them are always harvesting the fruit from the trees , helping to pick the olives or tomatoes or pulling out the carrots in the garden , and helping make pizza and gnocchi in the kitchen .
Did I mention I love travelling ? Who doesn ’ t , right ? My favourite place to travel to is , of course Italy !
68 Great Scot Issue 172 – Edition 2 2024