Miss Olivia Monte

My name is Olivia Monte and I'm currently in my final year of my Masters of Primary Teaching course at the University of Western Australia. Prior to studying education I completed a Bachelor of Design, majoring in Landscape Architecture, also at The University of Western Australia. This early study decision was based on my passion for visual arts and design –  something which is still a big part of my personal life today.

During my undergraduate degree I worked in a landscape architecture design firm in Fremantle, WA, and found that designing bridges, playgrounds and foreshore developments was indeed exciting, but the work didn’t satisfy my desire to work with others on a personal level. Based on my work in the firm, I was encouraged to attend the 49th International Federation of Landscape Architecture global conference in Cape Town, South Africa, 2012. The conference was intended to serve as an enormous boost to my career as a landscape architect in a global context, however, my unplanned visit to the desolate, poverty-stricken townships outside of the city changed my life perspective. I knew from this moment onwards that I needed to have a serious think about what I wanted from life, and from then onwards started thinking about a career change.

After a few years of uncertainty, I dabbled in a few different fields and always found that working closely and meaningfully with people, particularly children, is the key to my happiness. I have always adored working with children as a nanny, swimming teacher and volunteer at Princess Margaret Hospital, so much that I organised and taught free art classes to children in my community church, Mary Mackillop in 2014. Alongside my swimming teaching, I realised that I enjoyed teaching so much and decided to pursue a career in primary education as it is something that I see not only as a means to an end, but a life vocation. I look forward to helping the children of today become empowered and thoughtful adults of tomorrow (who will, hopefully, also develop a passion for visual arts!).

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I believe that all good teachers will bring their passions and hobbies into their students' lives, particularly at the primary level, and such a notion underpins my teaching philosophy. I love travelling and learning about new cultures, cooking, swimming and making art. Please feel free to check out my art blog via the button below.