Northern Rivers duo James Smith and Tahnee Arnold made the move to Parkes in January this year after accepting teaching roles at Parkes High School.

They were among several new teachers to join the school and have loved their time here since.

James, head teacher of mathematics and Tahnee, relieving head teacher of special education, both began their careers surrounded by music.

“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but the plan was to be a music teacher,” James said.

“I got through my second year of university and my piano lecturer said 'how’s your math? You should go and do a math qualification as well', and lo and behold now I’ve been teaching math for seven years.”

For Tahnee she started her career with a Bachelor of Theatre.

“I was interested in the performing side and one day I went and watched my sister’s Year 9 drama performance,” she said.

It was watching that performance Tahnee thought “I’d actually really like to teach these guys”.

“I went and did my Masters of Education and it was a good decision," she said.

"I started out in Broken Hill, that was my first job. I really wanted to go out rural as a music/drama teacher for three years.

"I then moved back to the Northern Rivers and taught English and drama, and now I've moved into special education."

For both teachers the most rewarding part of their job is supporting students on their individual journeys.

“There’s a lot of good things that come with this job,” James said.

“I think a lot of it is just helping kids get to where they want to be and supporting them, and giving them a little bit more perspective on life and where they can go with things.

“Personally, giving them an appreciation of mathematics, I have really enjoyed teaching math and I really enjoy breaking down the stereotype that it’s hard, scary and boring."

"I really like seeing the growth - sometimes it can happen really quickly, other times it takes a few years, but whatever journey that student is on I love being part of that to support them," Tahnee said.

In their careers so far they have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to be part of some amazing teams.

For Tahnee she is currently part of the Department of Education's Jannawi Mentoring Program which focuses on leadership.

“Once a month we have a topic and we have a bit of a yarn about what we could do to bring some skills into our school context," she said.

“I get to present at head office about how that’s turned out and that’s exciting because when you first start you don’t see that happening, it’s quite a massive deal.

“For me it was just being able to see what we're trying to do and being able to relate that back to what it means for our students and our school.”

James has had the opportunity to work with the statewide Mathematics Growth Team.

“It was fantastic to look at what we’re doing across the state in terms of mathematics and connect with a lot of passionate teachers to help build a better way of teaching mathematics and being able to bring that experience back into my practice,” he said.

“I learnt so much from that working with Eddie Wu (Australian math teacher and YouTube star) and his team, that was definitely a highlight.”

Moving to Parkes has been a big change for James as it’s his first time in western NSW but Tahnee has loved being able to connect with family members around the area.

The pair have found Parkes High a welcoming environment with a lot of heart and passion within the staff.

"Most days are good but sometimes they aren't but there will always be someone there to support you, the teamwork and support is amazing," Tahnee said.

They both agreed that Parkes itself is also amazing.

“We’ve met plenty of community members and been welcomed into pretty much everything that we’ve jumped on and we love the national park,” James added.