I blame it on The West Wing. Or The Famous Five. Or both . . .
Early in my learning journey, I developed a love of great books. I was the child with a spare book in every tidy-tray, often resisting the temptation to sneak a peek at the next chapter when I was supposed to be doing my work. Later on, when I became a teacher, introducing students to those great books was one of my favourite things to do.
The West Wing came later - thanks to my father telling me that I really should watch this new show! It sparked a deep interest in politics - an interest I gleefully followed through a university class and way too many hours watching Antony Green on election nights.
Galarious Goods is where I can bring these long lasting passions together with another - helping students to really understand the topics they’re learning about. I love creating educational resources with lots of options; different ways of approaching topics - whether it’s a novel study for a notable book or a mini-unit on the different levels of government in Australia or introductory dance lessons which any teacher can pick up and teach.
And what does Galarious mean? Well it’s a word which belongs to my son, back when he was a toddler. He often combined words and then used them in the most unusual ways - galarious was his mix of good and hilarious and was most often used to describe his legs. “My legs are galarious, Mummy!”
Galarious Goods offers a wide range of teaching resources including
I'm Melina Dahms, the real life teacher behind Galarious Goods. After finishing high school, I attended the University of Queensland where I spent a lot of time in the Great Court, a lot of time in the library and a significant amount of time learning Ancient Greek while I got my Bachelor of Arts in History and Ancient History.
I followed that up with a Bachelor of Education from QUT before working my way into teaching through supply work and contracts into a permanent position. I’ve worked in both primary and secondary schools, worked with composite classes (the 5/7 split was the most interesting!), worked with gifted and talented classes, become a school ‘expert’ in computers, interactive whiteboards and reader’s and writer’s workshop and specialised in English and HASS.
Away from teaching, I’ve finally given in and followed in the family crafting footsteps - mostly through crochet and sewing. I love spending time with my family - especially when we escape to holidays on the Gold Coast.
"Awesome resource, very visual and easy to use. Thank you!"
