Most outstanding Mr Kata

Broady Kata was awarded the most outstanding secondary teacher. Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS 200380_03

By Mitchell Clarke

A teacher from Officer Secondary College has been dubbed the state’s most outstanding secondary teacher, after being awarded a Victorian Education Excellence Award.

With a career spanning 10 years, Broady Kata has been at Officer for four years and said he’s never felt more at home.

“When I was looking for a school to teach at, Officer jumped out at me. I just love it here. I’m a really big fan of this school,” Mr Kata laughed.

The English and Humanities teacher claims the school has exposed him to new opportunities where he encourages a culture of strong student voice and leadership.

“My award recognises educators that have made a huge impact in terms of student achievement and I think this has really acknowledged my work around student voices and student learning,” he said.

“Everything I do is for the students, I teach in a way that is very student centred. I’m big on student-teacher relationships, if we can understand the student as individuals and as learners, they can achieve anything.”

But his work at Officer Secondary College as a Professional Learning Communities (PLC) facilitator isn’t just limited to his students.

Broady also finds time to support his colleagues by developing their teaching skills and creating environments where they are able to share their own experiences.

“My colleagues have given me experiences which have helped me understand myself,” he said.

One of Mr Kata’s proudest achievements was his leadership role in the Positive Behaviour Supports program, which allowed students to focus on their own learning outcomes, after he began noticing resistance to basic instructions.

“We started with the basics like getting every student to wear full school uniform,” he said.

“This eventually evolved into an initiative where students began focusing on their own learning. It really did go from students focusing on their uniform to focusing on their learning.

“When we’re persistent in getting students to reflect on their learning, we’re able to ensure every student achieves learning growth – and my mission is for no student to miss out.”

Receiving the award has enabled Mr Kata realise his work and re-align his focus on changing the educational outcomes of students.

“I love my work and I love that I’m being recognised for it,” he laughed.

“I know that when there is a need, I’ll work hard to address it. I’m huge on finding an answer and a solution for some of the problems we all face.”

And despite his popularity around the school, Broady insists he is no different to any other teacher.

“I don’t think any teacher becomes a teacher because they want a job. They do it because they want to make a difference and I really want to make a difference,” he said.

“I want accelerated growth for every student and I’m not leaving Officer until that’s achieved, that might be a while but we’ll get there.”