It should come as no surprise that someone who loves continual learning just as much as teaching is running Santa Sabina’s Department of English.
A born academic who always knew she would teach, Elizabeth Phipps recently completed her Master’s degree, also receiving one of Macquarie University’s highest acclamations – a Vice-Chancellor’s Commendation.
Miss Phipps has taught English and History at Santa for the past 10 years, since graduating as Bachelor of Arts with Honours in English Literature. With Rachael Duke she is joint Head of English and she currently teaches Year 9 English, Year 11 and 12 Advanced English and both English Extension courses. Her broad ranging academic research has covered the lost child in Australian literature and film (Picnic at Hanging Rock, Remembering Babylon, One Night the Moon and all the novels of Carmel Bird) as well as histories around trauma and in memoir, particularly in the context of the Armenian genocide of the early 20th century. Her Master’s thesis considered the ongoing effects of that genocide on how descendants of survivors construct their identity.
She loves books, but also film and art and had the value of education instilled in her from an early age, with both her parents renowned teachers. A treasured possession is her copy of Hagseed by Margaret Atwood given to her by students in 2016. She is delighted to have just learnt that this text is on the new syllabus to be introduced in 2018, for study alongside Shakespeare’s The Tempest, already a staple for SSC English students.
Fostering a love of reading is one of Miss Phipps’s aims as a Santa teacher. Collaborating with fellow Head of Department Ms Duke on what English learning will look like in the future is one of her ways to achieve this.
“We’re open and excited about the changes coming”, she says. She is also ready for the introduction of the IB Diploma Programme, as one of our three English teachers recently trained in it.
When not teaching Miss Phipps can be found reading Australian women’s writing, re- reading curriculum texts or following her passion of exploring the world’s historical sites and art galleries. Her dedication to continual study and her excitement about the new National Curriculum ensure exceptional learning experiences for the girls of the Santa Sabina College Senior Years.
