After teaching Amy in Kindergarten in 1993, 27 years on Mrs Leanne Bentley is now teaching Amy’s daughter, Olivia, in Kindergarten at Shire Christian School.
“I love it,” said Mrs Bentley.
“People say to me, ‘does it make you feel old?’ and I say, ‘how cool that I’m still here’… but what I love more than that is people value Christian education enough that they want to bring their children back here.”
With their next child due to start at Shire Prep next year, Amy and her husband Andrew are excited about watching their children develop at the school.
“The Christian education focus was important to Andrew and I and I think we just knew our children would be looked after, cared for and loved here,” said Amy.
“It is sort of funny to be back again after all these years,” she said reflecting on the situation.
“[Mrs Bentley] looks exactly the same as 27 years ago!” said Amy.
When watching her daughter complete phonics exercises recently during the period of remote learning, Amy says she fondly remembers doing the same exercises with Mrs Bentley in Kindergarten.
Mrs Bentley now teaches Kindergarten on Wednesdays while Mrs Ruth Cooper fulfils section coordinator duties. Mrs Bentley also teaches Prep on Monday and Tuesday.
This isn’t the first time that a Shire Christian School teacher has taught the children of a former student and Mrs Bentley remarked that many people are bringing their children back to the school.
“There are so many,” she said.
“In my current Prep class I have about 8 children of former students, and that’s just my class!
“I have loved catching up again with the parents and seeing how they are going and what they are up to in life,” said Mrs Bentley.
Amy, who now works at the school part time as the secretary to the board said, “It’s amazing how many association members are children of past association members now too.”
“It’s really nice that they want to be involved and still be a part of the school. I think there’s definitely a feel of community here that is different to other places.”
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