Meet the teacher: Will Charles – Inspiring students to have a go

At St Francis Xavier College, great teachers do more than deliver lessons — they inspire curiosity, confidence and growth in the young people they teach. One of those educators is Will Charles, a Digital Technologies and Design Technologies teacher who has been part of the SFX community for four years.

Before stepping into the classroom, Will was working in another industry. But something was missing.

“I wanted to change career into something where I was giving back to the community in a more direct way,” he said. “Teaching was a vocation that offered that — and here I am.”

Since joining SFX, Will has found the most rewarding part of his role isn’t just the subjects he teaches — it’s the students themselves.

“To be honest, it’s the kids,” he said. “I love watching these young people grow and being involved in their lives, helping them become the best version of themselves.”

In subjects like Digital Technologies and Design Technologies, students are encouraged to experiment, problem-solve and think creatively — and Will believes confidence is key.

“I always tell students to have a go and not be afraid of making mistakes,” he explained. “Sometimes that fear of failure can stop us from really doing our best in the classroom — and I think that’s true in other areas of life as well.”
While it might be difficult to choose a single standout moment in the classroom, Will says the rewards of teaching happen almost every day.

“These moments happen so frequently it’s hard to pick just one,” he said. “Every day there’s some kind of interaction where you’re watching a student grow or helping them understand something better. That’s really satisfying.”

Outside the classroom, Will’s passions reflect his heritage. His family is from Argentina, and football — or soccer — is a big part of his life.

If he hadn’t become a teacher, Will says he likely would have pursued architecture — another field where creativity and design play a central role.

But it’s the strong sense of community at SFX that makes teaching here special.

“It’s the people,” he said. “The students, the families and the staff. It’s a very grounded community with strong values, and you see that in the way people teach and in their daily practices.”

Ask him to describe his classes in one word and Will laughs before settling on “energetic.”

And when students eventually look back on their time at school, he hopes they remember something simple but powerful.

“I hope they feel supported,” he said. “That they had trusted adults in their lives who helped them grow.”

At St Francis Xavier College, it’s teachers like Will who help create the supportive, inspiring environment where students are encouraged to learn, grow and become more.