Nykinya and Warumungu woman, Tayha Duggan-Hill, is in her first year of teaching at Maningrida School, located in Arnhem land, east of Darwin in the Northern Territory. 

Tayha grew up around Cairns and Darwin but says working at the remote school, with the Year 3 and 4 students is really rewarding.

‘The kids are beautiful out there and it's also been beautiful learning their culture as well’, shared Tayha.

Each school day can be different in Maningrida, some days Tayha has 5 students in her classroom and other days she’s teaching 30. 

‘In the mornings, we start off with our yarning circle, and then how you're feeling, checking in with the kids. Then we would do some English, then maths and other extracurricular activities such as music,’ explains Tayha.

Most of the kids in Tayha’s class speak up to four different languages, with English being their second language. The local languages in Maningrida are Burarra, Ndjebbana, Kunwinjku, YolnguMatha and Tayha has a local teacher in her classroom to help translate.

As a new teacher in a remote school, Tayha recognises the importance of hands-on learning and can see her students learning more and more. 

After originally studying nursing, then working as an Indigenous education support worker in Darwin, Tayha quickly realised she wanted to teach First Nations kids. 

In 2023, Tayha completed her Bachelor of Early Childhood Education with Deakin University. During her studies, she was a participant of the Teachers of STEM™ Initiative (ToSI) through the Stronger Smarter Institute.

‘My science specialist teacher really took me under her wing. It was the same with ToSI, they helped to support me financially,’ shared Tayha.

ToSI also helped bring out Tayha’s passion for science and this year she’s been teaching her own students about science behind motion, seasons and astronomy. 

‘If we were to look at the astronomy side, where you learn about the stars, we use the First Nation constellations and how they use them to track where they are,’ explained Tayha. 

Tayha wants to continue encouraging students to find their passion, while providing a safe space where they feel comfortable to put their hands up and ask questions.

Find out more

The Teachers of STEM Initiative™ is an innovative response to support Indigenous women to succeed in STEM. The program was developed by the Stronger Smarter Institute, which is supported by the National Indigenous Australians Agency.