Jessica Ruscica, Teacher, Mount Brown Public School
Teacher
Mount Brown Public School, NSW
Praised for developing professionally far beyond expectations since she began teaching, quickly mastering and surpassing early-career teaching skills and management to develop excellence in a wide range of teaching and learning expertise, Jessica Ruscica is described by a colleague as “a leader of the future”.
In her first few years of teaching, Ruscica has demonstrated a personal responsibility for continually improving her teaching practice to facilitate better student learning. She has worked collaboratively with colleagues to evaluate the effectiveness of her teaching practices, including using sophisticated analysis of student engagement, learning growth and outcomes to plan for the ongoing learning of each student in her care.
With superior technology skills, Ruscica is regarded a go-to person for her colleagues in online professional development, and she works with the technology team to improve whole-school expertise in the use of technology.
Ruscica’s teaching success has allowed her to move rapidly into leadership opportunities alongside colleagues with many more years of experience. She has led whole-staff professional development sessions for the last two years, mentors other early-career teachers through their induction and in their beginning teacher support plans, and has recently built upon her capacity as a leader by relieving as assistant principal.