The Bannister Creek Primary School teacher said she decided to become a teacher after her children started school and she was in the classroom with them as a parent helper.
‘I started helping out in the classroom and liked the idea of doing it myself,’ she said.
‘There is lots of thing I like about it, such as the relationships you make with the kids, watching them learn and seeing those light bulb moments when it clicks for them.’
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READ NOWMs Wiley said she did not know school principal Craig Ashby had nominated her for the WA Premier’s Early Childhood Teacher of the Year award.
‘When I found out I was one of the four finalists, I was really pleased, but just assumed I wouldn’t win,’ she said. ‘The judges came by the school and assessed me in the classroom and talked to other staff members.
‘It was nerve-wracking because I didn’t know what to expect or what they were looking for, but the judges were lovely and warm and it went really well.’
Ms Wiley said she had a strong focus on literacy and numeracy with her students as they are the backbones of learning and are used throughout daily life.
The Beaconsfield resident said she went back to university as a mature-aged student to study education and was in her 10th year of teaching.