An ex-Zimbabwean, I did my teacher training near Cape Town, South Africa and qualified as a Remedial Teacher well more than three decades ago – which rather gives away my age. I’ve been happily teaching and living in New Zealand since 2005. I taught in East Auckland for 10 years, mostly in a Year 5/6 capacity and also had the opportunity of being the Specialist Music teacher. After completing further research studies, based around a hand-drumming music therapy programme called “Drumbeat”, I realised how much I missed working with students that have Diverse Learning Needs. I decided to return to my previous area of expertise – Learning Support – and subsequently qualified as an RTLB, working in Central Auckland.
When our five adult children moved into their own homes, my husband and I chose to move to the beautiful North Shore, and in 2020 I started in the newly created Learning Support Coordinator role at NPS, as part of the wonderful Nikau team. I love working within a collaborative support team to coordinate a plan that helps remove barriers for students who are experiencing a blip in their learning. My personal goal is for every student to have an equitable opportunity to be the best that they can be, in a nurturing, inclusive classroom context.
