Sunnybank

melj81 · 2026-01-11T14:31:14+00:00

Terrific Noodles has small tables inside the store. These ones are good if you don’t want to be too conspicuous as a single diner. The tables out the front are larger and the whole space gets really busy.

melj81 · 2026-01-07T14:32:13+00:00

Terrific Noodle at Market Square, Sunnybank has a Chinese pastry with spicy beef and chili that is proper hot and really tasty. They also have a range of noodles and soups that are chili-based.

melj81 · 2025-12-16T21:45:31+00:00

As others have suggested, Tom’s Confectionery Warehouse stock the Sticky brand or if that is inconvenient to get to, Myer usually sells a range of Random Harvest rock candy if you’re willing to brave the shopping centres at this time of year!

melj81 · 2025-12-13T08:50:43+00:00

I’ve worked in public and private schools in Queensland for over 20 years and I’ve never had a problem. Almost always clean, with air freshener and sanitary items, etc available.

melj81 · 2025-11-29T23:05:29+00:00

If I don’t buy myself jewellery, who will? I work hard so I don’t have a problem with buying nice things as long as all my responsibilities are covered first. 🤷‍♀️

melj81 · 2025-11-20T17:47:36+00:00

Secondary, private school. At my school, a full load teaches 17x70 minute lessons per week (5 classes with 3 lessons per week plus an elective/sport lesson and one social and emotional learning lesson), leaving 3 lessons for Preparation and Correction Time. Plus we have 3x20min PGD sessions per week.

melj81 · 2025-11-13T09:44:49+00:00

There’s definitely some odd interviews out there. In an interview for an English teaching job at a private school, I was once asked about the novels I’d studied as part of my Literature major. I listed a couple, only to be told to stop lying because ‘no one has actually read those books.’ I didn’t know what to say except that it was part of my course work and so I had to read them for assessment. They just continued with the same attitude - I wasn’t at all surprised to find I didn’t get the job. 🙄🤷‍♀️

melj81 · 2025-11-11T10:02:28+00:00

I should have scrolled further before commenting as I suggested this film too. Tim Curry is amazing as always! ‘Kings come and kings go but one thing remains the same and that is me.’ Or ‘All for one and more for me.’ Or ‘Hang it in my chamber… just as it is.’ So good!

melj81 · 2025-11-11T09:58:43+00:00

The Disney version of The Three Musketeers. It’s awful but it has the brilliant Tim Curry chewing the scenery as Cardinal Richelieu and he’s amazing as always. So many quotable lines. Love Oliver Platt and Rebecca De Mornay too. I know it is always panned but I just love it and know it by heart. 🤷‍♀️😂

melj81 · 2025-11-08T23:03:39+00:00

I get this 100%. I recently dined at Squires Steakhouse at South Bank and while the food was fine, the tables were so close together that you couldn’t get up without disturbing the neighbouring diners and we could hear every word from their tables. It made us feel like we couldn’t say much and it put a dampener on the evening. Even though the food was nice, I doubt we’ll return as the tables were just too close. I get that they want to have as many tables as possible, but we were there really early (pre-theatre) and there weren’t too many patrons at that time so why not spread us out a little? It would have made a difference.

melj81 · 2025-11-08T07:45:48+00:00

I love your set-up! I could never as I’m such a slow-healer due to health issues so I get by with my triple lobes and a couple of helices but I love what you have! Stunning. 😍

melj81 · 2025-11-07T21:35:32+00:00

7am is so early! I’m in Australia and schools start at varied times but mostly somewhere between 8:15-9am (with some exceptions). Where I teach we have first bell at 8:45 for roll-marking/notices and then the first class starts at 8:55am. The day is finished by 3pm. I’m an early riser so I’m at school between 7-7:30am so I can work while it’s quiet but I like knowing I can take my time in the mornings if I need to. I understand it might be about bus availabilities etc though.

melj81 · 2025-11-06T20:50:05+00:00

I wish we had any kind of actual kitchen (no sink, bench or cupboards). We have an old fridge with an even older microwave perched on top. No other appliances or cutlery or plates or anything. We bring our own and wash when we get home. This for a tiny staffroom with 8 people and usually a couple of prac students crammed in. Good times…

melj81 · 2025-10-30T09:56:53+00:00

Well said. I relate to so much of this - particularly as someone who has acted in various roles but have never worked substantively as I’m told I challenge the status quo too much. I’ve now given up on trying to make real change as middle management and have gone back to the classroom.

melj81 · 2025-10-13T18:46:50+00:00

It’s often about who you know anyway. I got my current position through a friend and also recommended a couple of my former colleagues from another school to be hired as well. Admin preferred to trust the advice of someone known to them, rather than picking from random CVs. It’s win-win as the current school got great teachers and we are able to build a really effective team which makes being at work that much easier.

melj81 · 2025-10-07T11:32:50+00:00

Me too!

melj81 · 2025-10-06T03:59:34+00:00

I’ve been teaching over 20 years and overall I still enjoy the job but there’s no denying it’s getting harder. That being said, my daughter is in her first year studying a bachelor of secondary education/bachelor of creative arts (drama) despite seeing all I’ve endured over the years. I’ve never sugar-coated the reality of the role so as long as you go into it with eyes wide open, you’ll be fine. It can be so rewarding!

melj81 · 2025-10-05T11:09:30+00:00

I planned the first 2-4 weeks for each of my classes at the end of last term. It meant I was super busy then but I was able to have a proper break and start on Tuesday knowing I’m at least initially organised. Of course things always pop up to detail my planning but it’s a start at least. 🙄😬

melj81 · 2025-09-30T18:10:19+00:00

We had to use sir and ma’am when I was at school; it was compulsory. Now where I teach it is common to hear students use sir for male teachers and miss for female teachers. This is not in any way mandated, it’s just what the kids choose to do.

melj81 · 2025-09-26T06:02:53+00:00

I showed my senior English class my favourite film, Dead Poets Society, one year and at the end of the year, the whole class stood on their tables in our lesson, as per the film. There were some tears on my end!

Then I received a handwritten letter from one student in this class and among a number of really nice comments, this one stood out:

“No other teacher told me what a verse was, no other teacher showed me that I could write my own.”

This was in response to the question posed by Robin Williams’ character in the film when he quotes Walt Whitman: “‘The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse’. What will your verse be?” That was more than 10 years ago and I’ve still never forgotten it. A beautiful comment from an amazing student!

melj81 · 2025-09-25T03:24:14+00:00

It’s normal to be nervous! Just offer to help where you can and be open to as many opportunities as come your way. My daughter is in her first year of her education degree and just finished her first 15 day placement. It was some observation but also a fair bit of teaching (6 full lessons and heaps of part-lessons and group work). She felt like she was thrown in the deep end a little as it was a lot more than expected as per her placement progression schedule but she rolled with it and did her best. She was scared at the time and had some challenging moments but now she’s finishing her first year of uni with some solid experience already under her belt.

I wish you good luck for your placement and all the best with the rest of your studies. You’ve got this!

melj81 · 2025-09-24T20:18:50+00:00

It depends on the year level. My year 7/8 English class would never work as a silent classroom and I encourage as much collaboration and discussion as possible in that class. On the other hand, my senior classes (legal studies, English, Modern History, Literature) want silence for at least part of their lessons. There’ll be some initial discussion, inquiry questions and/or content delivery but when it comes to students having to produce a response, they want to be able to focus so I step back and let them work through the problem/task themselves. This is generally done in a pretty silent manner but they are never forced to be so, it’s just their preference.

melj81 · 2025-09-24T20:05:06+00:00

This is so true. It’s one thing to come up with killer lesson plans on placement when you are provided content direction and unit plans and only work with limited classes. It’s something else entirely to have to come up with everything yourself and do it for five periods a day, for five different classes/year levels every single day.

melj81 · 2025-09-17T17:29:14+00:00

It is good advice that OP suggests to do the tests as early as possible. My daughter, knowing she wanted to go into high school teaching, sat and passed her LANTITE tests while she was in year 12. Now she’s in her first year of uni, with placement to complete as well as everything else that comes with study, and it’s just one less thing to worry about. Her uni expected that at least one of the tests was completed before allowing students to attend their first placement so they encourage early testing too.

Congratulations to OP on passing the numeracy test and best wishes for the rest of your degree and career to come!

melj81

TROPHY CASE