Marg McLaren
Cunnamulla P-12 State School
This outstanding teacher has dedicated the last 48 years of her life to the children of Cunnamulla.
Margaret McLaren, or Marg as she is known to her colleagues, has a passion for education in rural and remote communities, and ensuring all students leave Cunnamulla P-12 State School (CP12SS) with useful literacy and numeracy skills. Her creativity shines through in the way she encourages students to engage in learning. One student became excited to learn multiplication when Marg programmed a robot to ask the student directly if he would like to learn the times tables. |
She has also been fundamental in the implementation of the Books in Homes program, which provides families in rural locations with books to help build a love for reading at home.
Her deep understanding of the local community and their cultures meant that Marg could ensure each book was best suited to the family who received it. Marg values community involvement in student learning, and considers it a key priority of the school. Through a partnership with the Paroo Shire Council Library and Yapunyah Lodge, Marg runs a Senior Buddy Reading Program that allows students to visit the town library and work collaboratively with the respected community elders. In her current role at CP12SS as Support Teacher for Literacy and Numeracy and Students with Disabilities, Marg works with classroom teachers to create personalised programs to enrich students’ skills in reading and writing. Marg’s friend and former colleague Tammy Hickey, who is the librarian at the Cunnamulla library, says that over Marg’s extensive career, her passion, ethics and professionalism has only intensified. “Marg comes to the library in her own time to personalise the robotic program to better engage with her students,” says Tammy. It’s not only the students who benefit from Marg’s dedication to learning. She has inspired countless educators to set and exceed expectations by modelling and leading colleagues to pursue their own and their students’ goals. “Her tireless dedication to every student succeeding has seen her impact the lives of multiple generations in Cunnamulla,” says Deputy Principal Samantha Harvey. Congratulations Marg on your nomination.
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