It’s been a year since I’ve created Ronnie’s Ramblings and I have to say that it has become more than what I thought it would be. As someone who was not that tech-savvy when it came to creating a website and not being super confident about my writing, I feel like this little project of mine has come far. Originally, I intended to create a source for students to access resources and receive advice and tips to succeed in their VCE, but it has become much more than that over the year. It not only helps students across Victoria but also I have found that teachers have been using this site and sharing my tips and advice with their students. That is the biggest compliment I could ask for. 

I thought I would just be creating blog posts about various areas of study and units for VCE English, especially with the changes to the study design coming into place for Units 1-4, but I also ended up doing other things that were well beyond my comfort zone, that also have challenged me to broaden my horizons. I’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with colleagues and participate in podcasts, I have presented some of my ideas at the VATE State Conference in November 2023, and will again be presenting at the VATE English Day in February 2024. I’ve marked VCAA exams and will continue to pursue this and other avenues as there has been nothing more demanding, but also rewarding as an English teacher. 

My students have been my greatest critics and their feedback for this site has been taken seriously. They’ve told me that they love how I personalise the stories and that makes it more relatable for them. I try to be as descriptive as possible but not pretentious or too detailed. They like how I break things down in steps for them to follow and use simple language, but they have also told me that they don’t like reading too much information and that’s when at the end of 2023 I decided to succumb to the deep dark hole of TikTok. This was more popular than I could have ever imagined and with one of my posts (which was a very sarcastic take on what not to do for argument analysis in the exam) started to trend, I realised I was on to something. I will be exploring more of TikTok and creating short reels for students to watch and provide tips for various areas of study in 2024, which I actually found was the best way to reach those whom I have wanted to help. 

So, 2024 looks to be even more creative for me and I will continue to challenge myself and push my own boundaries as I develop my brand, Ronnie’s Ramblings. I’m thinking of new ideas and new passion projects for this new year, but who knows what 2024 will bring because I certainly did not think that 2023 would turn out the way that it did. 

That one idea that came to me in the middle of the night during the summer holidays in January 2023 has evolved and become so much more to me than just a blog and I really hope that as students and teachers reading this blog or connecting via other social media like my Instagram and TikTok that you benefit from it. I’m very excited about 2024 and let’s remember to “keep it zesty.” 

Feel free to contact me through the comments on this page or email me at ivaroncevic78@gmail.com for any feedback and suggestions for what information you’d like to see on this blog.

Follow the Instagram page Ronnie’s Ramblings Instagram for post updates or follow Ronnie’s Ramblings on TikTok

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Iva Roncevic has worked in schools in Western Australia, and London in the United Kingdom, and has been a teacher of VCE English in Melbourne Victoria for over 20 years. She is currently working as a senior English teacher in Melbourne and has presented at VATE (Victorian Association for Teachers of English) conferences and assessed VCAA English exams.

She is a passionate educator who loves connecting with her students and seeing them succeed. To her, success is about celebrating the achievements of each individual student and encouraging them to achieve their best possible result knowing that she believed in them.