She has decided to retire after 25 years of teaching to spend more time with her family and grandchildren – and tackle new projects like felt making and echo dying. 

Ms Mort worked in secretarial and office positions before she trained as a teacher and has been part of different communities during her teaching career.

In 2000 she was teaching Aboriginal children at a small school west of Lightning Ridge. She then spent a couple of years at Metford Public School, where she taught kindergarten to year six students, before she moved to Dungog Public School.

In the past 18 months she has worked five days a fortnight and stepped away from the classroom to help teachers develop their teaching skills. 

Before that she was the assistant principal of stage one, which encompasses children in kindergarten, year one and year two.

“I enjoy the children, the learning … The needs of the children, depending on their community is different,” she said. “I really like the teaching side of things more than everything else and I really like the families and the community. I’ve made lots of friends with staff and children and families.

“I really enjoy kids, their little faces light up and they go okay I’ve got that, I know that now.

“I had a year 6 student come to me the other day and say ‘you were the one who told me about fantasy books and I’ve still got that book’.”

Ms Mort said it was important for teachers to speak to each other about their teaching styles.“I’ve been able to enhance teaching skills through teachers talking to teachers,” she said.