Retired Teachers Helping Out on the Farm

After a busy career, many look forward to a nice, easy time of things, others find the transition from work to retirement difficult and come look at another commitment free day with a sense of emptiness if not dread.

But for teachers there is opportunity to continue to contribute, especially since the shortage of teachers has become so acute, accomplished professionals are welcome too, especially if you can do maths.

Aussie Helpers has grown to become one of the largest charities supporting farmers and rural communities in Australia, with a network of volunteers and supporters across the country and the AHVISE (Aussie Helpers Volunteers for Isolated Student Education) Educational Program was created to support the learning outcomes of rural youth and bridge the learning gap between rural and city students.

Over the past 10 years, Sydney-based retired couple Bruce and Audrey Flood have travelled from Sydney to a remote town, 4.5 hours out of Cairns (on the Southern end of the Atherton Tablelands), to live with a local family as AHVISE volunteers.

Drawing upon their own experiences (as a former engineer and university professor), for 6 weeks, Bruce and Audrey deliver daily in-person lessons to the Wilson family’s four children (Tiana 21, Kelvin 20, Fred 13, and Natalis 11).

Aussie Helpers recruit volunteer tutors including retired teachers, teacher aides, educational assistants, principals, and other volunteers with appropriate work/life experience and match them up with hard-working rural families to suit their current schooling levels.

Farming families who need help the most are generally the last to ask for it and typically, farmers handle their duties on their property as well as their duties in the classroom, which can be a lot.

Volunteers have a wide range of life skills that they teach outside of the classroom as well, from wood working to making traditional damper on the fire. It’s a package deal of valuable life skills.

The program has been running for seven years, Aussie Helpers took over the program in 2016 and supports 30 families a year through AHVISE, and 210 over the seven years, currently there are 150 volunteers registered.

The one-on-one support of a tutor is beneficial to children who normally study via distance education. That face-to-face learning is special, it’s not the same as through a screen. If a student is struggling with a certain subject, the tutors help them to catch up with their peers.

Remote farm kids get that connection with a teacher for a whole term, which the city kids tend to take for granted.

Volunteers are predominantly retired or semi-retired teaching professionals and a lot of the program’s volunteers plan a holiday on the way to their stay with farmers. Volunteers travel and stay at a unique remote location they probably wouldn’t have seen before, and experience what life on the farm is like. Often volunteers and families form strong bonds.

For Aussie Helpers, the more volunteers that register the more farming families can be assisted. It’s a big ask to volunteer and live with a farming family for a period of 4–8 weeks and volunteers, tend to be genuine, selfless, friendly, warm, good communicators, able to provide hands on learning, willing to be silly with the little ones, being a little tech-savvy is advantageous, but not crucial.

You can volunteer for AHVISE or donate via https://aussiehelpers.org.au/donate/