It’s not every day that your department wins an award from the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA), but the English team from Swan Christian College are flying high after their success in the 2025 ATAR exams!
The team (from left) of Ms Gillian Erasmus, Mr Glenn Marlow, Mrs Shelley Turnbull, Mr Joel Sherborne and Mrs Helen Poole have been recognised for having the highest performing students in English Literature during the 2025 Year 12 WACE exams.
What is their secret? This week, we caught up with Mr Glenn Marlow, a 25-year veteran of SCEA, to find out what makes this amazing team tick!
How does it feel to know that you are at the top of your game as a department?
It is wonderful that the students did well, but we don’t base our success on results; we base it on doing the work God has called us to do to the best of our ability. That is where we get our satisfaction.
What makes a great Literature teacher?
I think what makes a great Literature teacher is the ability to show students the good, the true and the beautiful in great literary texts and affirm God’s truth in these. Also, a love of learning and a desire to grow in wisdom and knowledge are things that are ‘caught, not taught’.
Are there any ‘secrets’ that you can share about your teaching methodology? How can students be successful in your classes?
My teaching methodology is simple: seek after God, spend time with Him, and ask Him for the wisdom to teach well. I often tell my students that if you study Literature and it doesn’t make you a better, more caring, more thoughtful person, then, regardless of your mark, you have failed, because that is the true measure of any successful learning.
What is your favourite literary text?
I don’t have one particular favourite; I love numerous texts for a variety of different reasons.
Do you argue about them as a department?
As a department, we love talking about texts and have some robust discussions, but we don’t really argue about them.
Any other favourite quotes or jokes to make this article more light-hearted?
Some favourite quotes of mine by GK Chesterton:
- “There is no such thing as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person”.
- “Thinking in isolation and with pride ends in being an idiot.”
- “Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.”
We commend our English Literature teachers for their professionalism and dedication, which consistently enrich students’ learning experience at Swan Christian College and incorporate Gospel-inspired approaches into their teaching.