Bialik College Principal named one of Australia’s best educators

Teaching and Leadership News Tuesday, 05 Apr 2022


Dec 9, 2021

Bialik College principal, Jeremy Stowe-Lindner, has been recognised as one of Australia’s most outstanding educators at Futurity Investment Group’s National Excellence in Teaching Awards. He is one of only three educators in Victoria to win a NEiTA Award this year.  

Jeremy has steered the school community through the ups and downs of the COVID-19 pandemic with care and professionalism, allowing the school community to not only survive, but thrive. During the lockdowns, the school was able to run every class as scheduled online with students experiencing as ‘normal’ a school day as possible, even running every music and performance event on-schedule and on-line. “I wanted to ensure that students did not miss any part of their learning during an otherwise disruptive period, and as a result we found our demand spike and more enrolment enquires than ever before.”

Jeremy passionately champions student wellbeing and has also fostered a relationship with Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, enabling the school to benefit from the latest research in Cultures of Thinking.

Jeremy said it is extremely humbling to receive a NEiTA Award and accepted it “on behalf of our outstanding team of educators and support staff.”

“My favourite part of the week is standing at the school gate and greeting children running into school,” Jeremy said.

“It is all about relationships. If we get the relationships right, then everything else falls into place.”

With the challenges of COVID-19, Jeremy said ‘pivot’ has been the word of the year.

“Whether it has been reorganising camps at short notice, responding to the ever-changing health regulations or finding new and creative ways to engage children in person and online – we have all grown in ways we never expected,” Jeremy said.  

NEiTA Chairman, Allen Blewitt, said educators like Jeremy display outstanding resilience, passion and creativity every day.

“These qualities have become all the more important during the pandemic,” Allen said.

“Teachers have been at the frontline, adapting to the pressures of lockdowns and virtual teaching, while caring for student wellbeing.”

Reviewing Jeremy’s nomination, it was clear his passion for education is infectious. It is not only his students who benefit, but the broader school community.

“The NEiTA Awards were established to recognise inspirational teachers in the community. We understand the potential of education to change lives, but it is our teachers who effect that change.”

The National Excellence in Teaching Awards started in 1994 in Australia and 1996 in New Zealand. Since inception, nearly 40,000 teachers have been nominated by the community in the two countries. More than 1,075 teachers have received over $1,000,000 in professional development grants and prizes.