When your five year old son wanders around the house singing “I love Mrs Kerri Smith” in the midst of COVID lockdown and months of remote learning, you know that there’s a special prep teacher on the other end of the computer. And ‘Mrs Smiff’, as so many generations of Fish Creek Primary School kids knew her as, wasn’t just special to my son, but to hundreds of other children across her 45 years of teaching.
Now, the 2018 Victorian Teacher of the Year is hanging up her boots and hitting the road in her caravan, as she waves farewell to a storied career. At a special Teddy Bear's Picnic celebration on 11 September, Fish Creek’s Junior School building was dedicated to Kerri, with a plaque unveiled in her honour.
Kerri began teaching at Neerim South in 1981, and she can still name every child in that first class. She spent 21 of her 45 teaching years at Fish Creek Primary School, where she became a fixture of school life. Among her most treasured experiences were the COVID cohort of preps, many of whom stayed under her wing for several years.
"I had many of them for four years in a row," she told the students, ex-students, colleagues and parents who packed the school ground on Friday. "It was so special to see the growth of these kids, not just academically, but their commitment to each other, to learning."
The kids themselves paid tribute to their beloved teacher in a book prepared by Eleanor King, which drew together dozens of stories and memories from staff, students and parents, past and present. “I can write because of you,” said Haylee. “You didn’t keep teaching me the same thing and kept showing me lots of tricks to do addition and subtraction,” wrote Kayson.
Kerri’s philosophy was grounded in the belief that mistakes are not failures but the very mechanism of growth. "When you make mistakes, your brain grows. When it clicks into place, that's what makes teaching special."
The tributes from colleagues speak to a teacher who transformed not just classrooms but the people who worked alongside her.
Fellow teacher Clare Ellis described the moment she knew Fish Creek was special. "During a tour of the school, I stepped into a classroom that was vibrating with fun and learning — it was Kerri's. Working alongside such a brilliant teacher has been a privilege and joy."
Eleanor King said working with Kerri changed her permanently. "She has an innate ability to bring out the absolute best in children and colleagues alike, turning core learning experiences into lifelong memories."
Donna Gilliam, whose own children had Kerri as their prep teacher, captured the spirit of her classrooms perfectly. "Kerri's classrooms are a magical place of curiosity, of thinking and of fun. She will be missed!”
And Peta Hamlett described the wonderfully unpredictable world of stepping into Kerri's room. "When walking into her classroom, you never knew what you'd find… She managed to teach the kids in the most unique and fun ways and will forever be remembered with smiles on our faces."
Fish Creek Primary School is consistently among the best-rated schools in the area and Kerri is in no doubt about why. "Couldn't do it without the staff, and we do it all for the kids." Safe travels, Mrs Smiff. Cara Schultz
