Danielle Fletcher is already building connections with her students. 

“I'd like to be the type of teacher who makes kids fall in love with learning,” she says. 

“I’d like them to want to come to school, to contribute to class, to engage in the lessons and feel excited to learn. 

“I’d like them to know that I care and know that if they have any issues they can talk to me. 

“Most of all, I want them to believe they’re capable of accomplishing anything, no matter where they come from. 

“That’s the kind of teacher I’d like to be.” 

Danielle, 35, has just begun teaching a Year Five and Year Six composite class at Sunbury State School in Maryborough on Queensland’s Fraser Coast. 

Her first day in the classroom was overwhelming. 

“I got home that afternoon, and the whole day just seemed like a blur,” she says. 

“I'll be perfectly honest. I spent the first few weeks stressed, not sleeping and in tears because I thought, ‘I can't do this.’ But every week I’ve made it through. 

“All the staff and the community at Sunbury State School have been so supportive. 

“Taking all the theory that I’ve learned and putting it into practice in an actual primary school classroom – it's incredible.” 

Danielle is among 30 students who graduated from UniSC’s Fraser Coast campus this month.  

She’s completed a Bachelor of Primary Education and received a University Commendation for Academic Excellence for achieving a grade point average of 6.11 out of 7. 

She always dreamed of becoming a teacher, but life initially took her in a different direction. 

After finishing high school in Maryborough in 2007 she became a single parent at 19, when her son, Jaycob, was born.  

She balanced caring for him while continuing to work full time as an administration assistant, later moving into hospitality. 

When the pandemic hit, everything changed. 

“COVID turned the world upside down and I finally figured out that the job I had at the time wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” she says. 

Still, she almost convinced herself it was too late to start a four-year teaching program. 

“I kept telling myself I was too old at 30. But someone reminded me I’d be 34 in four years’ time whether I studied or not and I might as well make those years count. So, I did.” 

Danielle enrolled in UniSC’s Tertiary Preparation Pathway, doing courses in mathematics, biology and academic skills for success. 

“It was amazing, particularly the academic skills course because it taught me how to write essays, how to do research and how to reference,” she says. 

After six months, she gained direct entry into her UniSC program, which she completed over five years. 

She thrived – learning face to face in small classes on the close-knit campus at Hervey Bay. 

“My biggest class was about 23 people. I got to know the other students so quickly. We’d bounce ideas around and help each other when we were stuck,” she says. 

“All the lecturers and tutors know who you are. They’re just so willing to help and answer questions. I'm sure I drove them nuts with all my questions, but they answered every single one of them.” 

The belief she now instils in her own students is the same belief her lecturers and tutors had in her. 

“They really want you to succeed and be the best teacher you can be. A lot of them are still current teachers, so they prepare you for what it’s actually like in a classroom. 

“Without their support and belief, I, and many others, would never have made it through.” 

And she’s rightly proud of her achievement. 

“I questioned myself so many times throughout the program. And then you get to the end and see those final results and realise, I did that. 

“It’s such a strong sense of pride to know I put all the work in and I succeeded.”