Staff Focus: Dwayne Todd, PE and Life Skills Teacher

Written by: John McEnhill, Primary Coordinator

Welcome to YCIS, Dwayne! Can you tell us a little about your background, and how you have come to be in Shanghai?

I was born in South Australia and grew up in a small country town until I moved to Adelaide to go to University. I played Australian rules football and cricket throughout my childhood and during University. My first teaching experience was working in London as a supply teacher with my wife, Kate. We managed to do a lot of travel in this time, experiencing different cultures. I was a Primary School homeroom teacher for the first 8 years of my career working at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide and The Scots College in Sydney. I then spent 15 years at Immanuel College where I moved into Middle Secondary teaching Physical Education. I was also the Year 9 Coordinator and developed and implemented an Adolescent Transition Program. I also spent some time as a student counsellor in recent years. Over the past 10 years my family I have had many conversations about working abroad and the opportunity arose to join the YCIS team this year, and here we are!

 

Your twin daughters, Georgia and Lily, are joining you at YCIS, in Year 12, and your wife Kate is also accompanying you to Shanghai. How are they feeling about the move and how are they settling in?

They are all settling in well in the short amount of time we have been here. Understandably, it was difficult for Georgia and Lily to leave their close group of friends in Australia and get out of their comfort zone. They are adjusting to a new culture, school and curriculum. The students and staff at YCIS couldn’t have been more welcoming and supportive in their transition. They are enjoying the volleyball program and are looking forward to other CCA opportunities. They are also looking forward to their EOTC trip to Thailand in October! The girls travelled for two months throughout Asia in 2017 and have been lucky enough to visit Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. They are looking forward to exploring many more places in Asia and other parts of the world while based in Shanghai.

At YCIS we have a very talented group of PE teachers, and we are looking forward to seeing what you are bringing to this group. What sports do you particularly excel in or enjoy?

Throughout my career I have taught a large number of sports to a range of age groups and have coached AFL, Basketball and Cricket. I was the Strength and Conditioning coach for my last school’s First 18 footballers which is a passion of mine. I will be doing some work with the sports teams at YCIS to assist in building their strength and endurance which will improve their performance. I hope to bring some new ideas to the PE team as we taught a number of International Sports at my previous school. We are currently looking at broadening the PE curriculum at YCIS to give students exposure to a variety of new sports. It is exciting to be a part of this, encouraging YCIS students to be active, healthy and, most of all, to enjoy playing sport.

I understand you are also teaching Life Skills this year in Secondary. Can you explain what that is and why it is important for our students?

Life Skills is taught across all year levels, from Early Childhood to Year 13, and I am lucky enough to teach it to every student from Year 7 and above. The most overwhelming part of this is that I have to learn every name in the Secondary section but what a privilege to get to know every Secondary student! Life Skills is about assisting students to form their own identity by understanding who they are and where they have come from. Hopefully they will gain a better understanding of their own physical, emotional and social wellbeing and develop strategies that will assist them with resilience in the future. They will gain an understanding of their rights and ways to stay safe at school, online and out in the wider community. We will be discussing the changes that take place throughout adolescence and how they can stay safe, happy and healthy. It is also important for young people to understand healthy and unhealthy risk taking at this age while the brain is still developing. My ultimate goal would be that YCIS students leave school knowing what it is to be a successful adult in society!

               

You have been here now for a couple of weeks: can you share with us your first impressions of the school and especially the students?

YCIS is a very professionally run school and their induction program for new staff was excellent. YCIS has a great community feel about it. The students are respectful to each other and to the staff. My feeling is that the students work hard to achieve high academic standards but also enjoy the co-curricular opportunities given to them. The students are able to put their hand up to get involved in a wide range of different activities. The students I have taught are very passionate about their PE lessons. My first impression of the staff is that they work very hard, not only to provide quality teaching practice, but also to build a very good rapport with the students they teach.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I am passionate about music and have a large collection in a variety of genres. One of my hobbies is DJ’ing which I have enjoyed doing over a number of years. I also enjoy staying fit by, jogging, doing weights and swimming when possible. I follow the Richmond Tigers in the AFL and enjoy watching football games. To be honest, I like watching all sport! I also enjoy venturing out on weekends exploring new places to see and restaurants to eat at with my family. I also enjoyed spending time at the beach and getting out in the garden in Australia.