Challenge and support for staff at Trinity
Each morning at Trinity’s Summer Hill campus, you can find Mr Ethan Truong on Quad ready to connect with the Year 7, 8, and 9 students in Murphy House.
Science is his area of expertise, teaching Physics in the Senior School, but as a Middle School House Master, he says that his early morning presence on Quad ensures he keeps that line of communication open.
“I didn’t come to Trinity with a plan to open myself up to pastoral leadership. I was focusing on my academic leadership when I first came here three years ago. Within the first term, I noticed how strongly the School’s student wellbeing support was … I wanted to be a part of it.”
That’s when he started to apply for positions to learn more about pastoral leadership.
Now Middle School House Master of Murphy House, looking after approximately 50 students in Years 7, 8, and 9.
He says it “keeps him on his toes” but that he enjoys being able to stay connected with the younger years while his teaching load primarily focuses on older students..
An Inner West local himself, Mr Truong was initially drawn to Trinity for four reasons: working close to home, getting involved in Cadets after enjoying it at his previous School, his interest in teaching within the International Baccalaureate program, and Trinity’s faith-centred approach.
“We really do live out the faith here at Trinity. We’re not just Christian by name, we actually live out our ethos and Christian mission.”
He says that Trinity has delivered on all of his expectations, and then some, with the collegiality of the staff body being one of the things that has put his Trinity experience a cut above the rest.
“Everyone has your back. Everyone tries to get the best out of you and your students.”
The support of his colleagues has been something that has set his career on a different trajectory from what he originally had planned.
“School leadership was always supportive of my professional growth ” he says, recalling a conversation with Mr Brad Barr. “He encouraged me to take up the opportunity to pursue further study with Trinity’s financial support.”
That was when Mr Truong then started his Masters in Educational Leadership through UNSW. Now, on the other side of this pursuit, he says it’s opened up new pathways he’d never even considered.
“I never had it in my mind that I would do my Masters – I thought I would just do my Masters, achieve it and call it a day – but completing it made me realise that I’m more of an academic than I thought.
“Some of my professors have seen something in me and are now urging me to consider a Doctor of Education (EdD). I’m not sure if that’s the pathway I want to take yet, but I’m having some great conversations.”
He says that, in particular, Dr Kimberley Pressick-Kilborn – Trinity’s Director of Research – has been an enormous help.
“She was a great person to be a sounding board when I was deciding what to do, and has been supportive of opportunities during and after my Masters, like the opportunity to co-facilitate a Professional Learning Team.”
Through all the big decisions and possible paths he could take, Mr Truong says that he’s always grateful for the advice and encouragement from his colleagues.
“In particular, I’ve learnt to listen to the wisdom of the leaders above me. When I reflect on it all, without all of this wisdom, I wouldn’t be where I am now and I wouldn’t be considering even further study.”
