Teaching in New Zealand

My practicum experience

For the past six weeks, I have been teaching at Henderson South School in Henderson, New Zealand. The principal Mr. Diamond is one of the best principals I have ever seen. He cares so much for the staff and students and is so actively involved in the school.  Once I met him, I immediately felt welcome and like a teacher in the school. He treated the four BYU girls there as actual teachers in the school, and in my opinion we got the best school out of the 4 BYU girls go to in New Zealand. Nancy went into a level 4/5 class with Trude Karaka, Diana went into a 4/5/6 (3^rd-6^th grade) trilingual class with Ms. Auva, Janet went in a level 0 new entrance class with Catherine Bradley, and I taught in a level 1 (kindergarten) class with Amy Manos.

I could not have asked for a better practicum experience than being in room six with Amy Manos as my cooperating teacher. I started in room 6 with ten students: Faith, Suelieti,Adrianna, Natalia, John, Konrad, Devon, Oryane, Peleti, and Skye. 8 girls and 2 boys. I could not have asked for a better class. Each of them is so sweet and so different. Peleti has the best manners I have ever seen in a five year old. Faith is so sweet and has the cutest smile. Natalia is a little clever wiggle worm, but just loves you to death. Konrad is a quiet one but so clever. Suelieti is so little and quiet and has improved so much while I was in the classroom. Adrianna is our little fish in the pool. Devon is so clever and moved up in maths, reading, and  swimming all in one week. John is our star during fitness and writes such good stories. Skye is a little crazy one that you can't help but love. Oryane always has the biggest smile and is always doing the right thing. I really had the perfect little class. I had so much fun teaching them the first few weeks in reading, handwriting, about hot and cold, about measurement, about teeth brushing and hand washing, etc. We were always having a good time and I enjoyed getting to teach swimming twice a week and to laugh with all the kids.

About 4 weeks into my experience in room 6, six new children from another room moved up into mine. The classrooms in New Zealand are very fluid and always changing especially in the younger levels because the students start school on the 5th birthday and come in throughout the year. Berjon, Aries, Mario, Kelevi, Miranna, and Florida all move up into my room. They are such clever children and it was even more fun to have them in my class as well. Berjon is another little fish that tells quite good stories. Kelevi is one of the funnies 5 year olds I know. Mario is his right hand man and pretty good at maths for a 5 year old. Aries is such a helped and great example even for the kids that were already in my class. Miranna is so cute and is a star dancer. Florida is pretty quiet but has the cutest smile. I just love all of the kids in room 6. I am going to miss each of them so much. 

Amy Manos is a fabulous teacher and I am so glad I got to work with her. I learned so much and gained so many resources. I am so glad she gave me so many opportunities to teach and was so friendly and pretty funny too. I love the passion she has for teaching and I was able to learn so much. I was also blessed to be part of an amazing junior team with Goretti Schwalger, Una Cama, Cath Bradley, and Main Elu. All of them are so friendly and it is so hard to leave them. I have learned so much from them and they really were such amazing people to work with. I would be happy working with a team like that forever. 

So this past week was my last week in room 6. It was exciting, but also so sad. I have grown to love the kids and the faculty at Henderson South so much. It is a part of my life and feel like home now. I can't believe my time there is over. It just doesn't seem possible. On Wednesday, March 23 I the staff at Henderson South put on a special morning tea for the BYU girls at Henderson South and for Jim. They had lunch all  the staff and a delicious homemade cake for us. Each of our teachers and Trevor spoke about how grateful they are that we came to Henderson South and what a pleasure it was to work with, get to know each of us,  and see each of us grow as teachers. Each of us were given a nice piece of bone by our teacher. Bone is a big thing in New Zealand and a really special gift for someone to receive. It was so nice of them. I could never thanks them enough for the experience I have had at Henderson South. I am so grateful to each of the teachers and students for making my experience so amazing. 

After school, Nancy and I went to pack n save to get stuff to make better than sex cake, snicker salad, and cupcakes. Janet, Diana, Nancy and I decided to make a special morning tea for all of the teachers and bring in some treats we love. Nancy and I also decided to make cupcakes for a our classes. We came home and started on the cake first. Better than sex cake normally is a chocolate cake with caramel, cool whip and a toffee candy topping, but they do not have a lot of that in New Zealand, so we improvised. We got a berry topping instead of the caramel, whipped our own whip cream, and put chocolate hokey pokey candy on top. it ended up being delicious and was a favorite at morning tea today. We then made snicker salad with some accommodation as well since snickers are hard to come by. We added maro gold bars and maro crunches instead and it was still great. Making changes in the recipes ended p giving us new ideas to make more great desserts. We then made 48 chocolate cupcakes for our two classes. We were in the kitchen baking for about 3 and half hours and had so much fun doing it. I forgot how much I love baking. After baking for hours, we wrote individual notes to Trevor our teachers and the rest of the staff at Henderson South. I decided that I want to send over some of my favorite picture books and other things to room 6 once I get home. 

Today, Thursday March 24th was my last day in room six. It was a great but sad day. The juniors had a special assembly for Janet and I where the kids sang "You are my sunshine" to us and I almost cried right there. It just meant so much I wasn't just saying good bye to room 6, I was saying goodbye to all of Henderson South. At the assembly Amy gave me a large card room 6 had made for me with all of their pictures and pictures they had drawn with me and them in it. It was so sweet. Faith and Konrad walked up to the front during the assembly to give it to me. Amy also gave me some New Zealand rubbers, a New Zealand photo album, and some nice New Zealand place mats. It was so nice of her. I love all of it and I so grateful to her and room 6. I also have laminated pictures of room 6. The staff was so grateful for the morning tea we gave them. They loved all of it and I am so glad Nancy and I took the time to really make it good. 

Before lunch I gave each of the kids in my class a cup cake. It was so funny to see all of their faces covered in chocolate and I loved getting so many hugs, especially cute little Faith. I just love my class  so much and they love me. I am really going to miss them. Room 6 has become part of who I am. Life won't be the same without them. I spent most of lunch taking pictures and playing with the kids in my class and others. I am going to miss being here so much. And is different from when I was at a school last semester because I know all the kids in the school and they know me and all of them wanted to say goodbye. I also feel like Henderson South is my school and room 6 is my class. 

After lunch, our class was pretty much just a big party and explosion of glitter. A bunch of the kids made me more cards and I took pictures with them and just enjoyed being with them and having fun. It was so nice to just be able to enjoy being with the kids. I then gave Miss Manos and the kids a box full of American lollies with peanut butter m&ms, candy hearts, twinkies and some silly bands. It made the kids so happy. I loved getting so many hugs from all of the kids and the love that they showed me while I was here. I really am going to miss being in room 6. I am so grateful for the experience I had in the schools here. It has changed me so much and I am not only a better teacher because of it, but a better person as well. I am so glad I was able to have a practicum experience over here. I could not have had a better experience anywhere else. I will never forget Henderson South and all of the amazing experiences I had there and in room 6.