“Besides being a passionate educator, Ms Laing impressed us with her rich and extensive global experiences, accompanied by her strong sense of justice and integrity,” says Acting College Principal Martin Tait, about Ms Megan Laing who will be joining Masada College in October as the Head of Senior School. “Ms Laing’s sense of fairness and professional approach along with her high expectations are all admirable qualities that she will be bring to our College,” he says.
“While I’m very excited to be moving from Melbourne to Sydney, it’s really about the right job for me,” says Ms Laing about her move. “I instantly felt comfortable at Masada; I have always placed value on that feeling and so far in my career I have not been let down. It’s about that first moment when you arrive and it feels right,” she says.
Ms Laing, who emigrated from South Africa nine years ago, spent most of her 23-year-long career teaching in Johannesburg at Crawford College and Reddam House. “When I moved to Melbourne I started at Bialik College and then worked for Haileybury College. I also spent one year in China as the Principal of International for Haileybury.”
“There were many things that attracted me to Masada College,” says Ms Laing. “It is a school with a proven track record of high performing students. It is also a smaller school which is community- oriented and this is something that I really like. I thrive in a dynamic environment which pushes my limits, that has expectation of its staff and students and that seeks to achieve to high standards. I think Masada is all this.”
“I think I am lucky to be a teacher as our job is never the same,” says Ms. Laing. “The students are different every day and every year. I teach because I love that moment when a student gets the concepts, especially the difficult ones – it’s like a light that goes on. I also love being able to watch students grow and change over the time that they are at a school. Some face huge difficulties and seeing these students succeed with help from their parents and the school is something that I cherish being a part of.”
Ms Laing, who is also studying towards a Masters in TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), and says her personal strengths lie in a hard work ethic, loyalty, dedication to the task and good relational strengths “which means I relate easily to others and build relationships quickly”. “I am an ideas person and driven by solutions. I also have a strong sense of social justice – I worked for the Nelson Mandela trust for years in South Africa. Oh and I have a good sense of humour-I love to laugh,” she says. When not on the school campus, Ms Laing says you can find her at the beach drinking coffee. “We warmly welcome Ms Laing to the Masada College community and look forward to introducing her to students, staff and families in the months ahead,” says Martin Tait.
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