Hello, Guys! 👋
Hey! My name is Riley - I am an accredited teacher with broad experience working across a wide range of schools, subjects, and contexts. I have taught in highly diverse environments, from low socioeconomic schools with significant learning and behavioural challenges on the Central Coast, through to high-performing schools in Northern Sydney where expectations, competition, and academic pressure are significant. These experiences have shaped how I see development and learning, and determine how I operate as a teacher.
Across my career, I have taught and designed learning in English, Economics, Commerce, Design & Technology, Timber, Multimedia, as well as senior secondary subjects, including HSC. More recently, my role within the Department has focused specifically on targeted literacy and numeracy intervention. I currently work as the Coordinator of Small Group Tuition, leading and mentoring a team of teachers who deliver structured, data-informed literacy and numeracy programs. This role involves tailored, individual program design, assessment, teacher development, and monitoring and reflecting upon student progress.
What draws me to this work is rarely marks or dot-points, but the process of helping students understand themselves as humans and learners. Over years of working with thousands of students, I’ve seen that engagement and perspective matter far more than raw talent or ability. When students feel safe, supported, and held to fair standards, they are far more willing to improve, take risks, and make productive mistakes both academically and socially, fostering better humans. This is the environment I create when working with my students!
Outside of teaching, I am deeply committed to my own personal growth and evolution. I train regularly, reflect deeply, and actively pursue skills that require patience, effort, and resilience. My closest friends would say that I am very introspective, pensive and calm. When not teaching, you would likely find me reading, kickboxing, or going on wholesome adventures with my partner. I believe that confidence is built through continuous, daily action and awareness, and that discipline is the highest form of self-respect, which enables conviction in oneself. These principles guide how I live and how I work with students.
I aim to model the habits I encourage in others - consistency, purpose, curiosity, calmness and accountability - so that students are not just taught these values, but see them in action when in my class.
