The ‘troubled’ class assignment that changed Lee’s teaching career

When Lee Casuscelli got her first job out of teachers college in the 1980s, she was given what might be termed a challenging first assignment at The Grange Public School in south-west Sydney.

“She just got given the troubled class, I guess they called it, and no teacher really was able to do anything with these kids,” says her daughter Lauren Casuscelli. “They couldn’t really sit still at the start, they were jumping out of the windows and it was a bit chaotic.”

But Lauren says her mother gave her students 100 per cent of her focus. Attendance soon improved, the class became much more settled, and students were able to learn. “She just saw them as kids, not their disability,” Lauren says.

That class at The Grange Public about 40 years ago would become the first step in a long and dedicated career working to improve the lives of students with disabilities and autism.

When Casuscelli died suddenly in a car crash in February, it prompted an outpouring of grief in the Camden community and across the state.

Local MP Sally Quinnell told NSW parliament that hundreds of parents had paid their respects to Casuscelli, describing how she had “helped their children to grow and how she supported families with children with additional needs”.

That legacy was honoured on Tuesday at Parliament House in Canberra at an event held by Schools Plus, an education not-for-profit, with the inaugural Lee Casuscelli Excellence in Special Education Award.

Early in Casuscelli’s career, understanding of autism was much more limited both in schools and the general community. She developed numerous programs and initiatives to support students with autism.

One of those programs was called Tool Time, which she established at Our Lady Help of Christians in Rosemeadow in the 2000s. In one-hour classes, she helped equip specific groups – such as teen boys – with practical tools to navigate the world.

The junior group would cover topics such as how to make a friend, how to keep a friend, and the sorts of social skills people with autism might struggle with. There was also advice for their parents.

She went on to become the principal of Aspect Western Sydney School and Aspect Macarthur School before joining Schools Plus as its director of education.

The inaugural winner of the award is Dr Dawn Grant-Skiba, principal of Warrah Specialist School in Dural. The $50,000 prize includes $20,000 for a teacher fellowship, which is 12 months of professional development, including national networking and master classes.

A further $30,000 will enable Warrah Specialist School to expand innovative approaches that improve outcomes for students with disability and diverse learning needs.

Schools Plus chief executive Sherrill Nixon said: “We are delighted to recognise Dawn, whose work reflects so many of the values Lee held so strongly.”

Grant-Skiba, who was born in Jamaica, has worked across mainstream and specialist support schools in her 26-year teaching career. She says an early experience as a 12-year-old helping older women in her community learn to write their names and develop basic numeracy skillis has been a strong influence.

“The ability to do that has changed their lives,” she says.

She said while she was happy to teach students who learnt easily, she got the most joy from students who needed her more. “My creative juices flow, I get excited when they read a word, when before, they couldn’t recognise a letter.

“Those formative years really inspired me when I did come into teaching, to always look for the underdogs that others didn’t see as much.”

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