More than just a teacher, Matthew McCurry (BEd(UP/LS) ’03) has been a mentor and confidante to countless students throughout his career – for many, entering the fray during the most vulnerable period of their lives. He has carved out his own unique path, putting himself in challenging roles that specifically help those that need it most. Whether it’s identifying and providing a better path for our State’s young offenders or supporting children undergoing hospital treatment with a safe and welcoming place to learn, Matthew has advocated for equal education opportunities to reach all of our young people, no matter their situation.
Reflecting upon his career so far, Matthew can’t recall a time when he didn’t want to be a teacher. Initially because of his positive experiences through primary school, then more so due to a shift in teaching styles at high school that left him determined to break the mould.
“At times male teachers I was given led with fear and discipline, rather than embracing the fun of learning,” he says.
“And so I thought, could I be a male teacher that isn’t that person? I’m not saying that I haven’t used discipline in my career, but my drive to be a better educator was spurred on by finding different methods to engage students.”
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Leaving his hometown of Port Lincoln, Matthew was quick to realise going to university as a rural teen meant having to build independent skills – paying rent, cooking meals and getting around town. First arriving to the sprawling gum trees of Bedford Park Campus, the open space felt safe and secure – or as close to home as he was going to find in the city.
“I loved going to Flinders. It just gave me that connected collaborative environment where you could make friends, have fun and study hard,” he says.
“I was really proud come graduation day. I’m the first of my family to attend university, so it was not only special for me, but also special for them too.”
In his first role after study, Matthew moved to the Riverland to teach in Renmark. Then, with the plan to see what city life would be like as an adult rather than student, he moved back to teach in the private system for a couple of years. This led to an opportunity teaching in Spain at an international school.
While home for a quick holiday, an old friend who was working at Port Lincoln High School reached out for help substituting over a week or two. This quickly turned into four and a half years and Matthew’s first leadership role.
“As a former student, there was a lot of familiarity, a lot of things that were still quite the same,” he says.
“And that possibly gave me a little bit of comfortability, I would say. It made me proud to be a Port Lincoln High School student and I was able to show my own students what they could achieve because I was an example of that!”
EQUAL EDUCATION FOR ALL
Matthew was determined to continue working in public education, specifically in schools that were potentially hard to staff or posed socio-economic challenges. After several years at Para Hills High School and a short stint at Coober Pedy Area School, he realised his career dream of working at the Adelaide Youth Training Centre.
“As a leader working with young people in juvenile justice, I focused on pathways,” he says.
“I planned the young person’s education during their time in custody, but also looked at how to transition them out of custody and into employment or back into school.
“I really enjoyed that time because it was perhaps one thing I said or did that may have convinced them to follow a positive path. I found those young people to be very fair and to be very loyal, even though I fully understood that they had negatively impacted on themselves and other people.”
Matthew would often get asked to present to schools and professional groups about education within juvenile justice. A fellow speaker on this circuit happened to be the previous Hospital School SA Principal, who encouraged Matthew to apply for her role given her impending retirement. Seven years later, he counts himself fortunate to have fallen into such a significant position.
A SPECIAL PLACE TO LEARN
“Hospital School is a part of a young person’s treatment,” Matthew explains.
“Each morning at all three campuses, we have a look at what young people are on the wards and we build a school day every single day that is tailored to them.”
Over the past school year, Hospital School SA supported a significant number of students across South Australia. Young people are supported for short, mid or long periods depending on their individual health and learning needs. Each week, they welcome a steady cohort of new students into our learning programs. Operating as pre-school to Year 12, the length and frequency of stays vary for all. There is one-to-one teaching for those young people who can’t physically (or from a health risk point of view) come to the classroom. There’s also the family program, which is brothers and sisters of non-metropolitan young people staying on site.
“The first thing our staff do is make a connection,” Matthew says.
“We know that education success comes from a strong relationship. Something is impacting on you or your family that has turned your world upside down. For many, nothing is more normal than school.
“So we can be that regulation space. And for all our young people, this is not a clinical space. They get to step outside that big clinical world that they’re in currently and step into something that looks like a school.”
It’s not just about keeping up with schoolwork. Many children are given individual attention to assess their learning whilst attending Hospital School, which can uncover previously hidden learning difficulties or strengths in areas they didn’t know could be studied.
“Our aim is for students to leave here in a better place educationally than they came – we talk directly to the school they left to ensure they’re not just up to speed, but forging ahead with an individualised plan for their learning,” Matthew says.
MAKE CHANGE
In his farewell lecture at Flinders, Matthew had written an inspirational note to his future self – make change in the education space. That was, and is still, the goal.
“Flinders graduates can think about what drives them in their profession as they make all those studies count,” he says.
“I’ve always said to my students, regardless of where I’ve been it’s the cumulative experiences that matter. We don’t have to be doing something for 47 years to make a difference.”
The unfortunate reality of Hospital School is that Matthew and his staff know from the outset with some students that they will sadly never reach their desired profession. But that doesn’t mean they too can’t make a profound impact.
Matthew recently asked one of his end-of-life students, a 13-year-old boy, to explain what a narrative is to him. A little confused, he replied by explaining how a story is structured.
“I said to him, one of the biggest resources that I use when supporting young people, when supporting families and supporting schools is the narrative that I’ve built as Principal of Hospital School SA,” Matthew says.
“And I said my gift to you, Alex, is that you are going to now be a part of my narrative, and I’m going to speak of you and what you have done and that will help young people who are just starting out in the cancer space.
“It will help families understand what may occur for their child and it will help schools know what might assist them when they support a particular student through these times.”
Alex has since passed and is now an important part of Matthew’s narrative.
“That is a part of my lived experience. His lived experiences are now influencing and positively impacting others.”
Editor’s note: As a somewhat bias writer of this profile, I can attest to Matthew becoming a positive male role model for students – he was my Year 8 English teacher! It was a full-circle moment interviewing him almost 20 years after our paths first crossed and I thanked him for being part of the reason I find myself in this role.
His encouragement to follow my passion was a great driver in high school. He opened my eyes to the fact learning isn’t necessarily linear, we can experience things and grow our minds outside of what the curriculum states. Just shy of jumping up on my desk to yell, “O Captain! My Captain!” I truly would rally behind the push for more male teachers like Mr McCurry… sorry, Matthew to support our young people.