After working in the airline industry in Canberra and taking a decade off to care for her two young girls, visiting their primary schools was what inspired her to pursue a new career.
And she's never looked back.
“It was completely outside of my comfort zone but I ended up loving it,” she said.
“I've discovered that if you just say ‘yes’ to stuff and give it a go, it ends up being really enjoyable.
“If you're scared of something I think just have a try.”
Ms Wettern is now in her sixth year of teaching, and her sixth year at Tatura Primary.
“It's a job where there's never a dull moment,” she said.
Ms Wettern said as a mother who loves small children, working with them full-time had made for a "pretty special" career.
“I love spending time with them and watching them develop and grow,” she said.
“I love the innocence of them, they make me laugh every day.”
After starting off doing PE and relief teaching, Ms Wettern moved to full-time and hopped around year levels, from grade 5s and 6s to grade 1s and 2s this year.
She said with grade 1 and 2, reward came from seeing the kids develop over time.
“The growth that you see over a year is massive,” she said.
“They're learning so much and getting concepts that they didn't have at the start of the year.”
For Ms Wettern, "every day" served as a reminder of why she loved her job.
“To build that positive relationship with the students is so special, we're blessed that we're in a job where you get to do that everyday,” she said.
“There are days that are really hard but you look at the day as a whole and realise you've done something good for these little people.”
She said the best thing about Tatura Primary was the size - small enough to know all the students and see how they evolved over the years.
“The teachers here look after the kids - you've still got a connection with them even if they're not in your class anymore,” she said.
Even after sending kids off to high school, Ms Wettern said they would often come back to Tatura Primary to say hello, or tap her on the shoulder in the supermarket.
This year, of course, had been particularly "extraordinary,” with COVID-19 forcing lessons online for the bulk of the year.
“It was really hard at the start because we were all learning how to learn and teach online,” Ms Wettern said.
“But I found with my students it had some huge positives as well.
“I got to know them better and their families better at home more than I ever would have if they were in the classroom the whole time.”
She said the parents offered "incredible" help throughout the year.
“They did a remarkable job - we wouldn't have been able to do it without their support.”
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