Patricio Alvarado – English Teacher, Year 12 Tutor

Each month, we find out more about a nominated staff member. 

SPOTLIGHT ON … PATRICIO ALVARADO

What is your role at Emanuel School?
English Teacher

How long have you been at Emanuel School?
This is my second time at Emanuel. I was here from 2001 to 2011.

What do you enjoy about working here?
The students and teachers here are passionate about teaching and learning. It can be quite inspiring to work with students and teachers who love discussing literature, politics and ideas. It was like coming home after a long vacation.

What have you learnt about yourself at Emanuel?
I have learned that you are never too old to learn new things. You can be teaching for more than 20 years and there are still new ways to engage students and learn from colleagues.

What is your favourite memory?  
A memory that always stands out for me is that when I was about 12 years old there was a frog croaking from outside my bedroom window for a whole week. By the end of the week I had had enough and I asked my dad, when he had arrived home from work, if we could get it and take it to the local river. I remember the absurdity of a parent and child trying to catch a frog in a glass on a warm spring afternoon. We laughed a lot that afternoon. My dad would have been so tired, the last thing he would have wanted to do was to catch a frog and then get back in the car and drive 10 minutes to the local river and set the frog free. He used to leave at 5.00 am in the morning and get back at 5.00 pm after a one-hour drive to and from work. At the time I didn’t realise how special it was for a parent to come home after a long day and work and do anything to make their child happy. We just take it for granted that they will do anything for us. The love of our parents have for us makes us feel invincible.

What is your favourite memory from your time at Emanuel?  
My favourite memory is one of the reasons I came back. I have always felt like Emanuel is “cutting-edge” and willing to try new things. I have missed this and you do not realise this until you go to another school where it can take a long time for staff and the school to embrace new ideas. It has been amazing and inspiring to see teachers try whatever they can to make sure students are engaged and happy.

I also recall the time Samantha Bauer and I collaborated on writing, directing and producing our own school play Dollars and Sense. Nice pun right!

What do you do to unwind/ what do you enjoy doing outside school hours?
Every day I arrive home from work I go out the back and spend some time with my golden retriever Toby. He is getting old and I want to make sure I treasure the moments with him because it takes a long time to recover from the death of a dog. Sometimes I just sit and chat with him about my day. He doesn’t say much. I like playing my guitar – poorly I should add. I also enjoy gaming.

What song do you know all the lyrics to?
I am confident that I still know all the words to The Beatles. I used to know the track listing of all the albums but I think that has started to fade. I love singing Billy Bragg’s Greetings to the New Burnette because it annoys my wife. My English accent is terrible.

Do you have a hidden talent and if so, what is it?
No. Unfortunately my talentlessness is quite obvious. However, the English staff will say that I have quite a talent for annoying them. 

What do you wish you could tell your 12 year old self?
Pay attention to the moment. Your parents will never look younger than they do now. Notice the love and admiration they have for you. Pay it back. Effort gazumps talent. You learn more about yourself through your mistakes and failures, that’s why the word vicissitudes is such a cool word. Treasure those moments as this will help you to fail better. 

If you could pass on any wisdom to your students, what would you share?
I still stand by the motto taught by the great philosophers of our modern times:
In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
The Beatles

Pat and his family