We celebrate Christine Shilling’s exceptional achievement as a Highly Accomplished Lead Teacher (HALT) and the recognition of her expertise, leadership, and innovation in the classroom. The HALT accreditation, a mark of distinction, reflects her commitment to the growth and success of students and fellow educators. The rigorous assessment process she has undergone stands as a testament to her teaching skills, positive impact on student learning, and the ability to mentor and guide colleagues. Congratulations to Christine Shilling for this remarkable accomplishment.
How has the HALT accreditation process supported your development as a teacher and leader?
Working on my HALT accreditation has undoubtedly made me a better teacher and leader. Through working on my accreditation paperwork, I have gained a broader perspective of the profession and the complexities and nuances we navigate each day as teachers and leaders. It has sharpened my focus on the need to know your impact. Gathering the evidence required for each of my sets was both affirming and reflective, helping me to see what I do as it relates to the standards and what else I could do to improve my practice or the practice of others.
Now that you have been accredited as a Highly Accomplished Teacher what would you say to others considering HALT accreditation?
Gaining accreditation at HA has been one of the most challenging and yet also most rewarding things I have done professionally. If considering it, find a group of like-minded people who are either also seeking to be HALT accredited or who are willing to support you to do it; this isn’t something you can do in isolation. Make a plan and set aside regular time to ‘chip away’ at your evidence sets. Ask for help! We are lucky to have Brenton and Natalie who have been extremely gracious in offering support and guidance when needed and we also have other HALT accredited teachers who are willing to help. I was blessed to have Erin Sullivan, our Leader of Professional Learning at MacKillop, support me by offering advice and guidance on the types of evidence I could collect, on how to word annotations and also just general encouragement to devote time to putting evidence sets together.
Briefly describe your HALT journey and what was the biggest help completing this process.
I have been part of the HALT accreditation process for a long time, but really got stuck in about 18 months ago. I submitted my first module in 2022 and submitted Modules 2 and 3 this year. I am privileged to work in a community where the Leadership team highly values the accreditation process. My Principal, Frank Cohen and our Primary Assistant Principal, Sherylyn Kenney, were both instrumental in giving me opportunity and support to undertake the work necessary to demonstrate each of the standard descriptors. In addition to this, I think having another teacher who was also doing HALT (Cathy Whitmore) really helped, as we were able to walk the path together and offer each other support and advice. We used some of our HALT funding days to check in with each other and to act as critical friends, scrutinizing evidence and checking for both evidence of practice and evidence of impact.
Christine’s HALT journey is a testament to her dedication, collaboration and commitment to professional growth and leadership. Her story serves as inspiration for educators considering the HALT pathway, highlighting the profound impact that the journey can have on both personal and professional development. Join us in congratulating Christine Shilling.