Mary O'Reeri's story

But they were long and challenging years. It requires 100% commitment and when you're raising kids at the same time and other things happen in the family it can get hard. But I know that God is looking after everything. My faith is very strong. In my last semester, things had been happening in the family and I had to catch up some work so I needed to spend long hours in the Study Centre. One day it was just too much and I rang up and said 'I can't go on, it's just too much' but on that same day I was rung up at home by [another Kimberley school] and she said 'Mary, are you interested in a job? We're looking for Aboriginal teachers.'

I thought about it and saw the Holy Spirit moving and to know that they wanted me… it just lifted me right there and then and I knew I just had to complete it. So the next day I walked back into that Study Centre and spent hours and hours every day until I was finished.

And it happened that I got a job here and this is my first year, teaching Year 6 and 7.

I'd say to other ATAs, nothing is impossible. Just follow your heart, follow your dreams and there's light at the end of the tunnel. It's a long road and it's hard but if they set their minds to it they can get there. The spirit of God moves in mysterious ways.

You need support and I was lucky I had that support. I'd like to thank everyone who helped my dreams come true… my husband and my children for putting up with me not being there so much, my community, my parents who helped with the kids when I was away, the staff, my Principal, Catholic Education, Sister Sheila, my tutor. It's important to the community to have qualified Aboriginal teachers here. I think they're proud of us, really proud of our achievements.

And my biggest inspiration is my grandmother, a wonderful lady. I believe, I really do believe, that her spirit and her faith are here with me.

Working with the kids from this community is the most fulfilling thing. I love it. I feel like I'm teaching my own family when I'm teaching these kids. But being an Aboriginal person, teaching Aboriginal kids I'd feel they're all my family anyway. The second day in my classroom, the kids were calling me 'Auntie'.

I'd like the kids to become leaders, to get the best out of their education, and at the same time to follow their spirituality, their Aboriginal spirituality as well. And I say to them, you've got to work hard… now!

The other day was a sports day so I dismissed my kids at the oval and didn't come back to my classroom. That night I had to come in to do some reports, so my husband and I walked in and I turned the lights on. Right across the board, every student in my class had written a message: 'Miss, we love you', 'our dreams are in your hands' and all these other beautiful messages. I was exhausted from the whole day but I just stood looking and I got my husband to look and I started crying. Just to know that these kids wrote these things and I felt that they do respect me. I mean, I know they respect me but to see it visually, on the board, it was a great feeling.