Employee Spotlight
We are a big family here in Banyo
If lexicons were still printed and you looked under passionate educators, you would likely find our entire team and a picture of Demi.
Demi is Lead Educator in Banyo and has always known that she wanted to work with children. “I started working on call in a school as a teacher’s aide. However, the job opportunities were very limited,” she said. It wasn’t until she started working here at Journey Banyo that she discovered her true passion for working with younger children. “I absolutely loved it,” she adds with a big smile.
What makes this so special to her? Demi loves the honesty of the children. “Their honesty is incredible. They will always tell you what they think, good or bad. My favourite memory of this is when I popped into work in my casual clothes, and one of the kindy boys rushed over and said, ‘Miss Demi, you look so lovely.”
For the children, I want to be the best self
Demi still has fond memories of her time in daycare and the educators who impacted her. When asked how she would like to be remembered by the children in a couple of years, she has an exact idea: “I want to be remembered as the person who put all of her love into every child. I want them to think of me as the person who made them feel comfortable and supported them to be their best self with all the love and care I could give. I want them to know they will always be worthy of everything they want to achieve.”
This is why Demi always looks for ways to grow and develop as an educator. “I would like to take the next step up in my career. At the moment, I’m thinking about doing my bachelor’s. But I know whatever I do, I want to work directly with the children,” she shared.
Lifelong Learning
While her Bachelor’s degree plans are still taking shape, Demi actively uses the opportunities that the Journey Academy offers her. She recently attended the Toni Christie Seminar, which she found incredibly valuable. “Toni is incredible. She had such a wealth of knowledge. There was so much to learn, and I love how she encouraged us to use our values and include them in our practice.”
Although the seminar was only held a few days ago, Demi has already actively implemented what she learned at the workshop. “I have already changed how I react to children who are doing the wrong thing. Toni encouraged us to speak with the children in a calm manner to avoid heightening the behaviour. My next step is working out our room values with my toddler one team and eventually working with the other rooms to work out our overall centre values.”
But that is not all. Demi and her Toddler One team, namely Kaitlyn and Lill, have already been very active this year. “The Toddler One team has been working really hard on our main goal for this year of encouraging the children to be more independent, especially during mealtimes,” Demi shared.
Through critical reflection meetings, they have been able to evaluate their progress and make necessary changes. “During our last meeting, we discussed how we wanted to take our mealtime ritual a step further, and we are currently trialling and reflecting on how this will go. We are so proud of how well our children have adapted to this goal, and we can’t wait to see what is next for this daily ritual,” she said enthusiastically.
Demi’s passion alongside her profession:
Rugby & The Banyo Devils
In her private life, she is, by the way, enthusiastic about the rugby league, as she reveals. “I don’t play; however, I watch it regularly at my local club, on tv or in person. This year I took on a new role of being the Under 6 manager at my local club, the Banyo Devils. This role allows me to combine my love of children and rugby league.”
When asked what inspires her, the answer for Demi is clear, “My colleagues, as their experiences, passions, and personalities help me to be the best educator I can be. And, of course, the children. I do everything I can to better myself for them.” And she says, “I’m proud of our team. We educators work so well together. We are a big family and have so much respect for one another. I love how we treat each other as equals. I think that’s what makes us such a strong team.”
Great opportunities
And at the end, she adds, “I can say that I consider myself really lucky here at Journey. Banyo is quite a small centre, but we benefit from all the great opportunities. Work at Journey is truly shaped by a lot of support for us and awesome relationships within and beyond the centre itself, such as with the support office, the founders, and the CEO.”
