When a dry creek bed is your classroom, science connects to the land, and sports day kicks off amid a cloud of red dust, you know you're on Country out bush.
For a group of UniSA student teachers, the opportunity to teach in remote South Australia offers more than cultural immersion - it's a chance to connect with community, embrace new ways of learning, and potentially spark a career in Aboriginal education.
This National NAIDOC Week, UniSA is highlighting its remote teaching placements in the Anangu Lands, spanning Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) and Yalata Lands, aiming to inspire future teachers, while addressing workforce shortages in regional and remote Australia.
The timing is significant, with the State's Aboriginal Education Strategy, Impact Report showing that teaching support in the APY Lands has helped deliver the highest average preschool attendance in five years.
Already, four of last year's eight placement students have returned to continue teaching in the APY Lands while completing their degrees.
With more than 30 years' experience in Aboriginal education, UniSA's Associate Director: Regional Engagement, Dr Sam Osborne, says encouraging students to explore remote teaching placements is vital to building the remote workforce.
"When there's a teacher shortage in Australia, we know there's a desperate teacher shortage in rural and remote Australia," Dr Osborne says.
"These areas can seem daunting - they're unfamiliar, far from family and friends, and may lack creature comforts - but they also offer incredibly rewarding experiences in close-knit and supportive communities.
"Our placement program provides third-year education students with a unique opportunity to spend six weeks living and teaching in Anangu communities, alongside the world's oldest continuing culture.
"They live, learn and teach between the classroom, and on Country. Whether it's working with Elders to link native plants with science, teaching kindy kids colours in Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, or making maths fun by tallying bird species observed on Country.
"Importantly, students are supported by the community as they learn their craft in a cultural and language context that few Australians ever encounter."
The Anangu schools' partnership includes 10 schools spanning the far north and west of South Australia, including The APY Lands, Maralinga Tjarutja, and Yalata with around 200 local and non-local educators working in these schools.
Sophia, a third-year UniSA education student who recently returned from a six-week placement in Pipalyatjara Anangu School, says her stay was transformative.
"One of the first things you notice is the scale of the Australian outback. From the desert plains to endless skies over the mountain ranges, you know you're about to experience something completely different," Sophia says.
"Teaching at an Anangu school was so unique, and it very strongly connected to culture.
"We often took learning outdoors - using hopscotch or other made-up games to teach language and numbers - which the kids loved because they're such outdoor people.
"There were also amazing opportunities to learn from people in the community. On family days, we'd sit with an Elder to hear stories of their history, their travels, or more practical things like how to mix bush medicines or make spears.
"The local people are beautiful - gentle, kind and insightful, and they have a quiet confidence that really stayed with me.
"This placement was unlike anything I've ever done. I felt welcomed in the community and I can't wait to return - hopefully next year."
The program includes a three-day language and culture orientation run by Iwiri Aboriginal corporation, a mid-placement visit to the UniSA site at Ernabella, and a post-placement debrief at Uluru. Students are supported by experienced staff and take part in on-Country experiences and excursions.
"This program provides high-quality support for preservice teachers who want to challenge themselves personally and professionally in a new context," Dr Osborne says.
"They are developing far more than classroom skills - they're building cultural understanding, lasting connections, and for many, a sense of purpose that could shape their careers."
In partnership with the SA Department for Education, UniSA is also running a two-week field trip for students interested in teaching in remote areas.
