Award-winning teacher Christopher Lambe blends STEM, culture and relationships to spark curiosity and confidence in students across a diverse primary school community.
Mr Christopher Lambe traces his pathway into teaching back to his own school days. One moment in particular has stayed with him.
“As early as in year three, I designed a worksheet and the teacher, for whatever reason, decided to amuse me and let me run this lesson in class,” he says.
He also recalls the lasting influence of a primary school teacher who approached learning differently.
“My favourite teacher was my year five teacher. He really found engaging ways to make learning fun.”
That experience helped shape Mr Lambe’s teaching philosophy, one that has remained consistent across more than two decades in education.
“It was that right balance between learning and fun, and I think that has made me the teacher I am today,” he says.
Born in Sunbury, Melbourne, Mr Lambe moved to Western Australia at a young age and completed all his schooling in the state. He describes himself as a big believer in public education.
“I love school. I love learning,” he says. “I had some teachers who ignited the spark into wanting to be a teacher.”
Curiosity and connection in the classroom
That spark has carried through a 23-year career, including the past six years at Grandis Primary School, where he works as a specialist STEM teacher.
Mr Lambe’s approach to teaching is grounded in engagement and hands-on learning, an approach influenced by his training. Even small elements of lesson design can have a significant impact.
“A simple thing like how long you sit students on a mat for can almost dictate the success of a lesson,” he says, as bored kids can become easily distracted.
At Grandis Primary School, he had the opportunity to help shape a STEM program from its early stages. The role aligned with both his professional interests and personal passions. A self-confessed “nerd” at heart, Mr Lambe believes there’s a practical part of science that every kid is curious about.
That curiosity is central to how he engages students. He aims to create learning experiences that encourage exploration and build confidence, helping students see themselves as capable learners.
“If real estate’s mantra is location, location, location, teaching is relationships, relationships, relationships,” he says. “And if you get that right, then you’ll have success.”
Culture and identity in learning
Working in a school with a diverse student population has influenced Mr Lambe’s teaching approach, particularly his focus on inclusion and cultural connection. With a large Indigenous student population, he has learnt to incorporate Indigenous perspectives and local knowledge in his science teaching.
This approach has had a noticeable impact on student engagement. He recalls one Indigenous student whose experience illustrates the difference it can make.
“Suddenly, she saw herself as a scientist,” he says, noting how the lift in confidence led to sustained engagement. “It just ignited this curiosity and she became one of my better students.”
The student began bringing in insects to study and taking a deeper interest in science learning.
“Every recess and lunchtime she’d find bugs… and bring them in… and look at them under the microscope,” he says.
Opportunities beyond the classroom supported that interest, including excursions to a space science education centre where students can take part in simulated scientific activities.
For Mr Lambe, these experiences help students connect classroom learning with future possibilities.
“It gives them a real-world experience, and you feel like you’re having a real impact on kids,” he says.
Mr Lambe’s focus on relationships extends beyond his students to families and the wider school community too.
One of the biggest things that changed him as a teacher is becoming a parent: “You see what happens before the kids get to your door.”
He has been involved in The Fathering Project for more than a decade, helping to strengthen connections between fathers and their children. At Grandis Primary School, this includes regular opportunities for fathers to spend time at the school.
“Our kids know that every Friday their dads are invited to the school grounds so they can have lunch with their kids,” he says. “It just makes them feel special and welcome.”
The initiative has also contributed to stronger engagement with the broader school community.
“It means that they’re more connected to school life,” he says.
‘Just doing the job’
Recognition through the Minister’s Teacher of the Year award was not something Mr Lambe set out to achieve. In fact, his first reaction was reluctance.
“My principal told me he was going to nominate me for Teacher of the Year,” he says. “And I said, please don’t. I’m one of those guys who paint the underside of the door, the bit that no one worries about, but I don’t want any recognition.”
He initially dismissed the nomination, assuming the field would be strong. It wasn’t until he was named a finalist that the significance of the process began to register.
“You are your own worst critic, but through the process, you had to acknowledge the work that you’ve done over a long period of time.”
That reflection, he says, shifted his perspective. Rather than focusing on a single achievement, it highlighted the cumulative nature of a teaching career.
“It isn’t just the last 12 months,” he says. “This has been 24 years of teaching, of truly loving the job, but also giving back to the wider community beyond my own classroom walls.”
The awards event itself brought a mix of pride and nerves. Standing alongside other finalists also reinforced his view of the profession as a collective effort.
“You think about all the teachers out there who don’t get recognised, who don’t get nominated,” he says. “There was nothing special about me. I was just doing the job.”
For Mr Lambe, the award is less about individual recognition and more about acknowledging the work happening across classrooms every day.
“We’re not in it for those accolades,” he says. “And we definitely don’t expect to be sitting on the front page of the West Australian newspaper the next day.”
Looking ahead, Mr Lambe remains focused on teaching and supporting students through meaningful learning experiences.
His commitment to the profession remains unchanged.
“It is the best job in the world. I will continue doing this until they kick me out.”
