Two of the newest faces at Wadhurst are actually Melbourne Grammar School stalwarts. Both Simon Calbert and John Donaldson have transferred to our secondary school campus after teaching younger students at Grimwade House for many years.
Simon began at Grimwade in 2009, while John joined the School in 2013. Both now bring their training, skills and experience to a new student cohort, and are keen to share what they are enjoying about this next stage in their respective careers.
A bridge between campuses
For Simon, moving from his role as a Physical Education teacher at Grimwade House to Head of Sport at Wadhurst in 2021 was a way to keep progressing in his career without having to move away from Melbourne Grammar.
“I wanted to keep learning under different types of leaders and in different settings, and to take on the challenge of working with students across a different age group,” says Simon. “It was also an opportunity to work on and solve new educational problems, which is a really satisfying part of my job, and to build relationships with different staff members.”
Of course, a number of Simon’s students are those he taught while at Grimwade House, which he sees as an opportunity to continue these connections.
“Given my history with some of the Wadhurst students, there’s an opportunity to discuss what works with particular students, and to communicate where they’re coming from to other Wadhurst staff members,” he explains. “Not every secondary school teacher gets that kind of briefing.”
Finding new ways to support students
Having taught at an international school outside Dubai, as well as at independent schools here in Australia, John says transitioning to teaching English and Humanities at Wadhurst in 2022 was “the right amount of change”.
“I had largely achieved what I wanted to at Grimwade, but I never felt the urge to leave the School – you couldn’t pick a better place to turn up to work every day,” he explains. “But at secondary school level you’ve got a different breadth of learners, and I feel I can nurture the fundamentals while also enjoying more robust conversations with older students.”
John believes that the strong pastoral care system in place at Wadhurst was another factor in his decision to stay at Melbourne Grammar. “I wanted to be part of what the House system employed at Wadhurst offers the students,” he says.
John adds that it has been the right move for him: “It’s the School’s philosophy of developing young people, and the respect I have for the School’s leadership team as a whole, that made me want to stay on here.”
