My Secret Santa

A tradition amongst many work places is the Secret Santa gift-giving tradition.

The school where I work , Hedland Senior High, is no exception. Run by one of our deputies, the Secret Santa spreads across the last week of the year. All who participate are secretly given another staff member. From Monday to Friday you shower your secret recipient with small gifts or gestures, dropping clues along the way. On Friday, the final day, you reveal yourself if they haven’t already nutted it out.

I love Christmas and I love doing nice things for others, so naturally I participated. The best part, however, is not the giving and receiving of presents, but the opportunity to get to know your colleagues better. In whatever field I have worked throughout my career, I have firmly believed that a team that works well outside of work can work wonders at work.

To be honest, when I first received the letter that divulged who I would be showering with gifts this week, I was dumbfounded. I had no idea who this lady was. I asked around and my queries were enthusiastically answered. Naturally, I facebook stalked Haley and was pleased to be looking into the eyes of someone I recognised from around the school. This lady had caught my attention in the past because her smile is radiant.

The more I dug for information , the more I loved this lady. Teachers, students and admin alike , all reinforced what Haley’s smile already says about the beautiful person inside.

Haley is a Math teacher at HSHS and a credit to herself. Over the past week I have been told Haley is fun, bubbly, a bit of a party girl, loyal, happy, a great friend and an awesome teacher. I have worked amongst many Teachers and can identify many differences between a teacher who teaches to pay their own bills and a teacher who is passionate about their students-the ones that teach from the heart. Haley, I am happy to say, is the latter. We should never underestimate our ability, as educators, to help our students reach their full potential. I have loved learning about you Haley and hope you have also enjoyed your role as the gift bearer this week.

I am glad this tradition has remained firm amongst Australian workplaces and encourage people to jump on board if given the chance.

If you work with young people….be the mentor you needed when you were younger, because a teacher who LOVES teaching, teaches their students to love learning.

Merry Christmas Haley!!

Luv you 40-Leven,

Deb Perry

(Welcome Centre EA)