Fulfilling her teaching destiny

In some ways, Mirryndah Nixon was always destined to become a schoolteacher. With a mother who has worked in schools for decades as a teacher and principal, she had a role model whose footsteps she could follow in.

And yet, when she finished high school, a teaching career was the furthest thing from her mind.

“I hated school,” says Mirryndah, a proud Githabal woman who was raised on Bundjalung Country in northern NSW. “My mum would tell you herself that we were chalk and cheese back then. Getting me out of bed to go to school in Year 11 and 12 was like pulling teeth. I just couldn’t wait until it was all over and done with.” 

It wasn’t until Mirryndah had her own children that her perspective shifted, allowing her to realise her own strengths.

First, she dabbled in childcare, gaining a qualification to work as an early childhood educator. Then, after the birth of her second child, she worked as an Aboriginal teacher’s aide at Cabbage Tree Island Public School, among a small Indigenous community on the Richmond River.

“Even though it was only a couple of days a week, I’d go home knowing that I was making a difference,” says Mirryndah, who was already familiar with many students at the school, as her mother had served as principal there.

“I wasn’t a teacher, but I had formed these strong relationships with the Aboriginal kids. I started to see that I could do things differently. I knew how to get these kids interested in school, so they would show up to class and be ready to learn.”  

Taking the leap

At that point, Mirryndah wasn’t sure if she could balance university study with family life in pursuit of a teaching degree.

Through friends, she heard about ACU’s Away from Base (AFB) program, which enables Indigenous students to blend online learning with weeklong residential blocks twice a semester.

Mirryndah with her children Amira, Nova and Reign.

Becoming a schoolteacher suddenly seemed within reach.

“I knew other mums who were studying at ACU, doing the course online and only heading to campus for the residential blocks, and it sounded doable and convenient,” she says.

“It was absolutely ideal for my home life and my situation at the time, so I took the leap and enrolled.”

Years on, Mirryndah is nearing the end of her Bachelor of Education (Primary) degree.

She says that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers have a crucial role to play in the education system, helping to link student learning with local languages, cultures and post-school pathways.

“We have leaders and elders in our communities, storytellers and nurturers, and they know what it takes to help our kids to learn, to listen, to show respect and try their best,” she says. “We need these leaders in our schools and our classrooms, guiding our kids and teaching them in a loving and gentle way.”

Learning together

In early 2024, Mirryndah walked into a classroom at the Koolkan Aurukun State School, in a remote community of the Cape York peninsula that has long suffered from teacher shortages.

Having gained approval to teach through the Permission to Teach program, she introduced herself to her new students. 

“The first thing I said was, ‘I’m an Aboriginal woman from New South Wales, and I know most of us aren’t good at school and we hate it, but we’re going to change that. We’re going to figure out what we like so we can all start having fun at school, and then we’ll all start learning.’”

Six months on, she says that moving her family to Far North Queensland so she could teach at Aurukun was the best decision she’s ever made.

All but a handful of the 250-odd students at the school are Indigenous, and members of Wik, Wik Waya and Kugu peoples.

Students from Koolkan Aurukun State School in Queensland.

“I wanted something new and something meaningful, and I wanted my kids to have an experience that not many other kids would get,” says Mirryndah, whose two eldest children are students at the school.

“I might just be a beginner teacher, but I feel like I’m where I’m meant to be. I’ve made such strong connections with the kids. I didn’t go in there and say, ‘Listen here, I’m the boss.’ I took the time to get to know them and build relationships – and from there, the only way is up.”

Her advice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are a considering a career in teaching? Don’t let anyone hold you back.

“I never liked school when I was younger, but I can see now that education is absolutely key for us,” she says. “Our people are storytellers and educators, and we need to do more to encourage our mob to become those teachers at the front of the classroom, leading and educating our kids, and taking us all forward.”

Want to lead from the front with career in teaching? Explore the options.

Learn more about the Away from Base program and ACU’s Indigenous Higher Education Units.