Recognition was an honour

Nominations for the WA Education Awards close next week and Secret Harbour Primary School Year 2 teacher Ashleigh Arundel encourages anyone thinking of nominating an educator in their community to do so.

Mrs Arundel won the WA Beginning Teacher of the Year in 2011 and said even being nominated was an honour and a thrill.

‘‘It was very humbling because I didn’t consider myself to be doing anything other than my job,’’ she said.

‘‘It was really nice to be rewarded but also very humbling because I know there are teachers who go above and beyond every day who don’t get the recognition.

‘‘You don’t often hear the good things. If there’s something not quite right you always hear about it, but it’s not often you get to hear the positives, so it was nice to hear the impact I was making.’’

Mrs Arundel said teachers played an incredibly important role, and nominating an educator for one of the awards could help reflect this importance.

‘‘It’s hugely important to have dedicated teachers and staff in schools,’’ she said.

‘‘Just being nominated in itself was such a huge honour and I was on a high for weeks after being nominated.

‘‘It was nice to see other people were appreciating the work I do.

‘‘It’s a really fun process, lots of interviews, lots of meet and greets — it’s fantastic publicity for public education.’’

The nominations for the WA Education Awards are open until August 10.