The career Noelene Geno loves today nearly wasn’t the one she chose.
As a teenager, she imagined a future in accounting, following a path that seemed both practical and familiar. Inspired by her father, she expected that one day she might help run the family business.
It wasn’t until she began volunteering with children through her church that she discovered a completely different calling.
What started as a volunteer role soon became something much more significant.
“I found a genuine passion for supporting young children during their most important years of growth and development,” she said.
Today, as Kindergarten Teacher Directorat St Joseph’s Kindergarten, Mount Isa, Noelene spends her days doing work she never expected to find and cannot imagine leaving.
The art of paying attention
Spend enough time talking with Noelene and a theme quickly emerges.
She talks about listening, noticing and being fully present.
While educational programs, environments and experiences all matter, she believes some of the most important work an educator does is far less visible. It happens in moments many people would overlook. It might be a child building the confidence to join a game, a conversation during play, or a look that says a child needs reassurance before they are able to put those feelings into words.
“I believe the most important thing educators can do for young children is to be fully present and in the moment with them,” she said.
To Noelene, being present is more than simply being nearby. It means seeing children for who they are, responding to what they need and helping them feel valued. When children experience that sense of connection, confidence, curiosity, friendships and belonging begin to grow.
A bunny on the shelf
Among the many keepsakes Noelene has collected throughout her career, one is especially meaningful.
A bunny.
At first glance, it looks like an ordinary toy. But whenever she sees it, she thinks of a child who once struggled to separate from his mother each morning.
Kindergarten was overwhelming and goodbyes were hard. Rather than focusing on changing the child’s behaviour, Noelene focused on building trust. Each day she greeted him warmly, listened, reassured and provided consistency.
Gradually, things began to change.
The tears became less frequent. Confidence grew. Friendships formed. Learning followed.
Before long, the little boy who had once struggled to walk through the gate was running through it.
When Noelene eventually left the service, the family gave her a bunny toy identical to the child’s favourite comfort toy.
It remains one of the most treasured gifts she has received.
Not because of the toy itself, but because of what it symbolises: the extraordinary things that can happen when children feel safe enough to trust.
It takes a community
Noelene is quick to point out that no educator works alone.
Some of the most meaningful lessons of her career have come from working alongside families, schools, parish communities and fellow educators.
Early in her teaching journey, she deliberately sought advice from experienced teachers and worked hard to strengthen relationships with families and local organisations.
As those connections grew, so did her understanding of what helps children thrive.
“Meaningful change happens when we work together to support every child,” she said.
The strongest outcomes, she believes, emerge when everyone works towards the same goal and children see that the important adults in their lives are walking alongside them together.
Faith in every child
For Noelene, faith is not something separate from teaching. It shapes the way she sees children and the way she responds to them.
Her faith reminds her that each child is unique, worthy of dignity and deserving of love. It influences the environments she creates and the values she hopes to model every day through kindness, empathy, patience and compassion.
“My faith encourages me to see each child as unique, valued and deserving of respect, compassion and care,” she said.
Those values guide her when children are struggling, when families need support and when life feels complicated. They also remind her that the work of education is about far more than preparing children for school. It is about helping them understand their place in the world and their value within it.
Walking alongside
Noelene often reflects on a verse from Jeremiah that reminds her God has a plan for every person. It is a belief that shapes the way she thinks about the children in her care.
She knows she cannot determine who they will become. She cannot choose their future passions, friendships or dreams. What she can do is walk alongside them for a small but important part of their journey, helping them build confidence, develop relationships and discover what they are capable of.
Many of the children she teaches will eventually move on without remembering every activity they completed or every lesson they experienced. Some may remember the songs they sang, the games they played or the friendships they formed. What Noelene hopes they carry with them is something deeper: a sense of belonging, confidence in themselves and the knowledge that they are valued.
The little bunny still sits on her shelf as a reminder of that hope. At first glance it is an ordinary toy. For Noelene, however, it represents the trust, patience and care that helped one child move from uncertainty to confidence. It is a reminder that meaningful relationships can have a lasting impact long after a child leaves kindergarten.
After nine years in early childhood education, Noelene believes the greatest privilege of her work is not simply helping children learn. It is helping them discover that they are capable, valued and deeply loved. And if they leave kindergarten carrying that belief in themselves, she knows she has helped give them something that will stay with them for years to come.