It's great to have Mrs Tanya Allen as Carmel's new Business Management teacher (taking both general and ATAR courses) and ATAR Finance and Accounting teacher in Carmel’s HASS Department. Now in her second term at Carmel, we caught up with Tanya to find out how she's settling in.Ìý

You’v±ðÌýgot a term under your beltÌý³Ù±ð²¹³¦³ó¾±²Ô²µÌýB³Ü²õ¾±²Ô±ð²õ²õÌýManagement (both general and ATAR) and ATARÌýFinance andÌýA³¦³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù¾±²Ô²µÌýin Carmel’s HASS Department. HowÌýhas the first part of the year goneÌýfor youÌýas you settle into your new environment?Ìý

The first part of the year has been a wonderful testament to the saying that ‘a change is as good as a holiday’. The Carmel staff and students and community have been incredibly welcoming and have made the settling in period very smooth for me.ÌýÌý

Tell us a bit about your career journey prior to landing at Carmel.Ìý

I completed a Bachelor of Commerce at UWA, whilst working part-time in legal and financial industries. After my degree, I continued to work in finance, assisting small businesses with financial management issues. I was responsible for clients who needed help with anything from implementing accounting software to changing their structure. It was a fascinating position, but IÌý»å¾±»å²Ô’tÌýfeel fulfilled by the role and couldn’t see a future in that industry. By luck, a conversation with a friend led me to realise ‘commerce’ subjects were taught to high school students in WA, and after a bit of exploration I decided to undertake a Graduate Diploma in Education. IÌý³ó²¹±¹±ð²Ô’tÌýlooked back and have since taught at both private and government schools before coming to Carmel this year.ÌýÌý

Was your interest in commerceÌýand teaching as a career pathÌýsomething that was evident to you during yourÌýschool days?Ìý

I have always been fascinated by business andÌýfinance andÌýused to drive my parents a little mad asking questions about the stock market after watching the report on the news each night! ItÌý·É²¹²õ²Ô’tÌýa career path I considered at school however due to subjects not being offered to me, and teaching was definitely not on my radar at that time. It was not until I went to university and started to explore my interests that I truly started to develop a sense of what I wanted to pursue as a career.Ìý

An area of interest for you is theÌýroleÌýof critical thinking within education. Can you expandÌýbrieflyÌýon the role you think this plays in the lives of our students as they learn?Ìý

Our students are now able to access information about anything, at the drop of a hat (thanks,ÌýGoogle). But this information is often inaccurate or biased, and psychologically it has been shown that young adults lack the ability to differentiate between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sources of information. This skill develops over time with experience, but it can also be taught. UnderstandingÌýhowÌýwe know what we know (egÌýIs it anecdotal or a result of scientific research) becomes more important to establish thanÌýwhatÌýwe know, in the minds of our students. This is soÌýthatÌýtheyÌýhave the ability toÌýdecipher the information presented to them andÌýtoÌýlocate reliable and accurate information. Being a strong critical thinker, I believe, is a life-skill, not just an academic one.ÌýÌý

If you had an unexpected all-expenses-paidÌýmonthÌýoff from your normal routine, how would you choose to spend that time?Ìý

I would spend it away from technology,Ìýdown-south, reading, doing yoga and walking. When can I go?Ìý

Eagles, Dockers or neither?Ìý

I am unashamedly ignorant of the game, so neither!Ìý

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