Teacher Talk: Principal for a Day

In the last week of third term, Ange Barry, CEO of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, found herself off to Victoria’s Gladstone Park Secondary College to experience a day in the life of a school Principal.

Alongside the school’s Principal, Lynne Gutterson, Ange visited a range of classes showcasing the school’s talents and specialist learning areas and enjoyed the opportunity to share practice and compare notes on the needs and demands of the education sector.

Facilitated by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), the Principal For A Day program aims to promote the work of schools and encourage mutually beneficial relationships between schools, business leaders and the community.

In the Italian-language immersion classes, students studied maths and history and Ange was amazed to observe students conducting their usual classroom tasks in a second language. According to Lynne, the language-immersion program helps build concentration and engagement with learning to achieve class learning goals.

Ange and Lynne agreed that the school’s kitchen garden program is perfect for immersion into yet another realm of activity and learning – pleasurable food education.

Gladstone Park, a Kitchen Garden Classroom member since 2015, runs a kitchen garden program which allows students the hands-on experience in gardening, cooking and sharing a meal together so that they learn real-life skills and develop positive food habits.  

In the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) class, the students took Ange on a tour of their vegetable and herb garden, which is still in development. Garden features include raised garden beds, compost areas and beautiful wooden signage that students have made in technology classes.

From the garden, Ange and Lynne moved easily to the school’s two kitchens.

There, students in the food technology cooking classes chatted away to Ange, explaining that they were making fresh pasta and tomato-based sauces, alongside a savoury cheese and bacon scroll. Students were able to name the ingredients and explain the cooking methods, as well as discuss some of the techniques used.

Students in both the food technology classes commented that they loved hands-on learning as it made them feel directly involved in something active, yet meaningful.

Over the course of the day, Ange and Lynne were able to share stories, ideas and concepts with each other, related to their sectors. They also discussed the competing priorities and demands of working in a leadership role, as well as the rewards and meaning of working to directly influence the health and wellbeing of children today.

The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation sends a huge thank you to Lynne Gutterson and the whole staff team at Gladstone Park Secondary College for welcoming and supporting Ange during her day in the life of a Principal.

Scroll through the gallery above to see images from Ange's day at Gladstone Park Secondary College.

• Find out how your school or early years centre can join the Kitchen Garden Classroom and dig into pleasurable food education.
• If you are in Victoria, check out the Victorian Pleasurable Food Education Package, which is supported by the Victorian Department of Education and includes a bundle of discounted professional development, educational resources, membership and support.

Any questions? Call our friendly Support Team on 13000 SAKGF (13000 72543).

Happy Teaching!

Steph Davies, Education Advisor