When Ryan St John’s students walk into his Year 3 classroom at St Flannan’s School, Zillmere, they see a teacher.
What they do not see is the journey that brought him there.
A journey that began as a student in Catholic schools, continued through a teacher aide role while studying at university, and ultimately led him back into the classroom as a teacher.
For Ryan, it is a journey shaped by opportunity, encouragement and a desire to give back through education.
Discovering a pathway
Growing up, Ryan attended St Peter’s Primary School and St Columban’s College in Caboolture.
It was during his senior years of secondary school that teaching first emerged as a possible career.
“We started learning about teaching as a career and the BCE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teacher Aide program,” Ryan said.
With support from his school, he applied for the opportunity to work as a teacher aide in a Catholic school while continuing his studies.
That experience proved to be a turning point.
“The initial experience in the classroom gave me good footing for my teaching career,” he said.
“It helped me understand what teaching was actually like and gave me confidence going into the classroom.”
Perhaps most importantly, it helped him discover where his passion truly lay.
“This was where my passion for primary teaching was realised.”
Learning by doing
While many graduate teachers experience their first classroom from the front of the room, Ryan had already spent years learning alongside experienced educators.
Working as a teacher aide while studying a Bachelor of Education allowed him to observe, build relationships with students and gain practical experience long before graduation.
The experience also helped make university study feel both achievable and meaningful.
“It allowed me to work and study at university while gaining valuable experience in schools,” he said.
Those years laid the foundations for the teacher he would become.
Returning to familiar faces
Today, Ryan teaches Year 3 at St Flannan’s School, the same school where he worked as a teacher aide while studying.
Even more remarkably, many of the students in his class are children he previously supported.
“I was their teacher aide when they were in Year 2, so it worked out really well that I was chosen to teach Year 3,” he said.
Already knowing the students has helped everyone settle into the school year.
“Having those relationships with my students has really helped us all settle into the rhythm of the school year.”
For Ryan, it has been a rewarding reminder of the importance of relationships in education.
The trust and connections built over time have provided a strong foundation for learning, helping students feel comfortable and confident as they navigate a new school year.
Education that gives back
Looking back on his journey from student to teacher, Ryan recognises the role encouragement and support played along the way.
“BCE have made the pathway into teaching feel secure and achievable,” he said.
Now, he hopes other young people will see teaching as a possibility for themselves.
He is particularly passionate about encouraging more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to consider careers in education.
“I’d encourage other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to consider similar pathways into education,” he said.
“The good thing about this pathway is that you get experience and support from other educators.”
Through his own experiences, Ryan has come to appreciate the important role education can play in strengthening communities.
“I didn’t realise how much education impacts the First Nations community until I was in it,” he said.
“Teaching is really a career that genuinely gives back to the community.”
Making a difference where it matters
Only a few years ago, Ryan was the university student learning from experienced teachers around him.
Today, he is the teacher helping shape the next generation.
It is a responsibility he does not take lightly.
His story is a reminder that great educators are often inspired by those who came before them and supported by communities that believe in their potential.
For Ryan, the classroom is more than a workplace.
It is a place where relationships are built, confidence grows and futures begin to take shape. And having travelled the journey from student to teacher, he knows firsthand just how powerful education can be in changing lives.