Ruth Caruso knew when she was 15 that she wanted to be a teacher.
'Through high school, I did a lot of thinking about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to be,' Ruth said.
'Being an Indigenous person has always been a large aspect of my education both in and out of school.'
'We were the sole Indigenous family at my private school, and there were no Indigenous teachers either,' Ruth said.
'But as a teenager I had this moment of realisation that I could fill that gap for other kids.'
Here we are about a decade later and Ruth is now an English and Drama Teacher at
Deception Bay State High School, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and postgraduate teaching qualification.
'Teaching is a career that allows me to combine my passion for improving outcomes for Indigenous people with my love of the arts,' Ruth said.
'To me, storytelling and performance is what being an Indigenous person is about—it's how our knowledge is passed on to the next generation.'
'Teaching, and my style of teaching, allows me to do this every day: perform and be an Indigenous person,' Ruth said.
'I take the opportunity to use Indigenous texts or expose kids to Indigenous history where I can, but ultimately any teacher can include Indigenous perspectives in their classroom—it's just like teaching any other subject.'
Ruth was offered her job at Deception Bay as a beginning teacher after completing her final professional experience placement there.
'Deception Bay State High School is a great place to work, and I'm surrounded by incredible colleagues and an awesome leadership team,' Ruth said.
'I firmly believe that having a great principal who is supportive of you as an individual also makes or breaks the job, so finding a good fit for you is essential.'
Though Ruth's vision had always been to teach at a rural or remote school.
'There was a bit of inspiration from my Nanna who, at 50, went back and studied teaching before working in places like Palm Island and Fitzroy Crossing and, from all accounts, thriving,' Ruth said.
'From the outset of my career, I told my principal about my aspirations to teach outside of metro areas, and she was so supportive and helped me make it happen through a temporary transfer and return arrangement.'
That's how Ruth wound up teaching at
Aurukun State School, in Far North Queensland.
Filled with ambition and hope, she was ready for a challenge and was committed to making a meaningful and lasting impact on her students and the school community.
'From the get-go, I think my experience teaching in an Aboriginal community was different to other teachers because I am Indigenous,' Ruth said.
'Despite some adversity, there were fantastic teachers and leaders who exuded positivity and were there really trying to make a difference for the kids,' Ruth said.
Ruth believes that teachers can effect change on an individual level easily, and those personal relationships with students are really important.
'You're so much for the kids,' Ruth said.
'You're the counsellor, calm voice, guiding light and personal cheer squad for each child in your class.'
Ruth said that teachers help children understand the 'hidden rules' of life through lots of micro lessons within each class.
Being an Indigenous role model is particularly important to Ruth.
'When I was a teenager contemplating my place in the world, Uncle Sam Watson was very active,' Ruth said.
'He was invested in ensuring black professionals are visible, and said the best thing you can be for the next generation of Indigenous kids is what you want to be, because you can only be what you can see,' Ruth said.
'For me, being a reflection of what you want to see in the world is a big part of those ideas.'
'It takes resilience and persistence, especially if you're forging a new path,' Ruth said.
'But it's powerful and very inspirational for a child to see someone who is like them doing something they want to do—it shows them that they can do it too.'
Ruth encouraged other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and students considering teaching to give it a go, especially given that sharing knowledge is a significant aspect of Indigenous culture.
'Why not do what you already know you can do? Why not be something that you know is going to benefit your mob?'
'Go ahead and be that change you want to make happen,' Ruth said.
'Be what you want other people to see.'
At the Queensland Department of Education, we are committed to creating
inclusive and culturally capable workplaces where employees are supported to bring their whole selves to work, guided by our
We All Belong (PDF, 3.2MB) approach to workforce inclusion and diversity.
This approach includes:
If you want to be a part of our valued workforce,
apply now to teach with us.