Rising Star David Hrovat
We are delighted to announce that David Hrovat, Head of Year 8 at Ivanhoe Grammar School’s Plenty Campus has been named as a Rising Star 2021 by the Educator Magazine.
The Rising Stars awards recognise and celebrate the best educators in Australia. According to the Educator online out of 100 nominations, 32 educators “stood out for their outstanding leadership, incredible initiative and passion, expertise, innovative approach to teaching and learning, and vision – all necessary to thrive in the ever-evolving education landscape.”
David is a passionate educator who studied a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at Deakin and then a Masters of Teaching (Secondary) at the University of Melbourne/University of Oulu (in Finland). Plenty Campus welcomed him in 2015 for 10 weeks as a student teacher, he then started working as a teacher’s aid while completing his studies until he received a teaching position in 2017. David is an exceptional educator and a vital and valued member of the Ivanhoe Grammar School community.
What inspired you to become a teacher?
This is my fifth year of teaching. I started tutoring maths and biology while studying at university and always felt uncomfortable taking money at the end of the session because I genuinely enjoyed it. Before then all my jobs had felt like a chore, so I wasn’t used to enjoying something and getting paid for it too. Each week I found myself looking forward to those sessions where I could build rapport with the kids and see their growth in confidence and understanding. Before then a career in teaching wasn’t on my radar at all.
What subjects do you teach?
I teach science, maths and digital technology, my main subject is VCE Biology.
What has been a highlight of your teaching career?
I can’t pinpoint any one moment, but it mainly comes down to the relationships you build over the years with the students. Maybe seeing last year’s cohort graduate which was the group I had as year 7s while I was a student-teacher in 2015.
What advice would you give to a young person who is thinking of a career in teaching?
I love my job, so I’d say absolutely do it. More importantly start tutoring, helping out some younger siblings or cousins or coach a younger sports team and see if it’s for you.
What do you think makes a young person of character?
The key attributes that I think lay the foundation for any young person of character are compassion and courage. Compassion to appreciate the differences we all bring and the courage to be their true selves and to celebrate others who feel comfortable to be who they are.
How does it feel to be recognised as a 2021 rising star in Australia?
I feel extremely flattered that someone has thought of me and then taken the time to nominate me. I’m also a little embarrassed as I don’t feel like I’m doing anything special to warrant the award, like everyone else here I am just rocking up to work each day and trying my best to support our students.
