Who are we?
My name is Mrs Suzanne O’Connor. I worked as a special education teacher for 9 years and for the last 10 years have been a mainstream, primary teacher. 3 years ago I completed a Diploma in Photography and decided to share my knowledge and passion with the students at my primary school. After getting approval from the Principal of our school, I purchased 10 point and shoot cameras. Our camera club was born…
I currently work with 31 students in Grades 4-6. These students are young, enthusiastic photographers with a range of experiences. Some of my students have never held a camera before starting with our Shutter Bugs program, others have been working with me for a couple of years now. My students have a range of cameras – from simple point and shoots to entry level DSLRs.
Our school now has 20 point and shoot cameras and 4 DSLR cameras (with twin lens kits), for our students to use. Many of the students also bring their own cameras with them.
Twice a week, we work together on developing our photographic skills. Various activities are provided to practice the skills learnt. In addition to this, at least once a term we have a formal excursion (to the local river, art gallery etc). I also try and run an excursion every school holiday, to a variety of areas, to provide more experiences and opportunities for my photographic team.
My students do not blog themselves, however they provide me with the photographs and information for our blog posts. We have an Edmodo group that allows all students to keep each other motivated and provide support.
We would love you to follow our adventures on the blog and provide comments (and constructive criticism) on our photographs.
Thank you
Mrs O’Connor & The Shutter Bugs Team 🙂