{"id":2075,"date":"2025-09-25T13:39:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T04:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/alumni-stories\/?p=2075"},"modified":"2025-09-25T13:39:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T04:09:00","slug":"making-every-lesson-count","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/alumni-stories\/2025\/09\/25\/making-every-lesson-count\/","title":{"rendered":"Making every lesson count"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than just a teacher, Matthew McCurry (<\/strong>BEd(UP\/LS) \u201903) has been a mentor and confidante to countless students throughout his career \u2013 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\u2019s identifying and providing a better path for our State\u2019s 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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflecting upon his career so far, Matthew can\u2019t recall a time when he didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt times male teachers I was given led with fear and discipline, rather than embracing the fun of learning,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

HOME AWAY FROM HOME<\/strong><\/p>\n

Leaving his hometown of Port Lincoln, Matthew was quick to realise going to university as a rural teen meant having to build independent skills \u2013 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 \u2013 or as close to home as he was going to find in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved going to Flinders. It just gave me that connected collaborative environment where you could make friends, have fun and study hard,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really proud come graduation day. I\u2019m the first of my family to attend university, so it was not only special for me, but also special for them too.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s first leadership role.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a former student, there was a lot of familiarity, a lot of things that were still quite the same,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd 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!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EQUAL EDUCATION FOR ALL<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a leader working with young people in juvenile justice, I focused on pathways,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A SPECIAL PLACE TO LEARN<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHospital School is a part of a young person’s treatment,\u201d Matthew explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s also the family program, which is brothers and sisters of non-metropolitan young people staying on site.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing our staff do is make a connection,\u201d Matthew says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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\u2019t know could be studied.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur aim is for students to leave here in a better place educationally than they came \u2013 we talk directly to the school they left to ensure they\u2019re not just up to speed, but forging ahead with an individualised plan for their learning,\u201d Matthew says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MAKE CHANGE<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his farewell lecture at Flinders, Matthew had written an inspirational note to his future self \u2013 make change in the education space. That was, and is still, the goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlinders graduates can think about what drives them in their profession as they make all those studies count,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve always said to my students, regardless of where I’ve been it\u2019s the cumulative experiences that matter. We don’t have to be doing something for 47 years to make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019t mean they too can\u2019t make a profound impact.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d Matthew says.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alex has since passed and is now an important part of Matthew\u2019s narrative.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a part of my lived experience. His lived experiences are now influencing and positively impacting others.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: <\/em>As a somewhat bias writer of this profile, I can attest to Matthew becoming a positive male role model for students \u2013 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. <\/em><\/p>\n

His encouragement to follow my passion was a great driver in high school. He opened my eyes to the fact learning isn\u2019t 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, \u201cO Captain! My Captain!\u201d I truly would rally behind the push for more male teachers like Mr McCurry\u2026 sorry, Matthew to support our young people.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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