Lourdes Rosenstengel

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

It’s always been in my nature to give. I very much love helping other people and from a very young age my parents instilled the giving culture in my siblings and I, and I think that’s one of the things that attracted me to teaching.

I have my Dad to thank for becoming a Mathematics Teacher. He has been a teacher of Maths for 38 years, of which he has been a head of Maths for 22 years. I remember as a child, watching him prepare for his lessons and looking through his textbooks. I thought he was a genius who understood this language of Maths that I didn’t understand at all. I was so intrigued by it that I wanted to learn it myself. I remember also the stories he would share with us growing up about his teaching experience and I could see he really had a love for his profession.

What made you apply to be a teacher at Stuartholme School?

One of the reasons I applied to be a Teacher at Stuartholme was the faith of the School. I have a strong faith and I’ve been to Catholic Schools. When I read about the mission and the religious life, I could see the vision of the School was very similar to my own and what I wanted to achieve.

I also remember at my interview that there was something about the surroundings of Stuartholme that was so peaceful and so spiritual that I immediately felt a connection.

For a lot of parents, Mathematics seems like another language, what’s your advice to parents on how they can support their daughter in Mathematics?

I think the most important tip I can give is to be encouraging. At home when they’re doing homework, give them support and encouragement to complete the tasks.

If parents haven’t had a good experience with mathematics themselves, try not express that in front of your daughter because it’s almost setting them up for failure. Be mindful how you discuss your experience with them, understanding that every person is different and every experience is different. This mindset is important in working with the teachers to support their daughter in achieving success.

Another tip is to try and be open minded. When their child gets their exam results back, sometimes it’s easy to look for blame or to pinpoint one thing. Rather than doing that, it’s best to work with the Teacher to find what the issue is that’s causing the block and fix it in a positive way.

There are so many great schools in Brisbane, what makes Stuartholme special?

I love that we’re such an inclusive school. We don’t necessarily select certain types of students that we can only enrol in the School. We are so open to students from different backgrounds. We celebrate our culture and there are lots of opportunities here at Stuartholme, even just being involved in charities, promoting social justice issues and the faith of the School as well.

Lourdes Rosenstengel
BSc/BEd (Secondary)

Highlights

Justice, Peace & the Integrity of Society (JPIC)

Lourdes is a member of the JPIC team which involves raising awareness and developing days of action that facilitate long-term change in our society.

Peer Helper Education Program

Lourdes helps run this program with the Year 11 Peer Helpers who support the wellbeing of students in Years 7 and 8. The program facilitates developing rapport between younger students and the Peer Skills Team so if the need arises, younger students will feel comfortable to approach and share their concerns with team members.