📚 Professional Learning
Workshops, PD sessions, marae visits, and ongoing self-study
🎓 Academic Pathway & Certification
Graduate Diploma (Waikato)
Outcome: Did not submit final research project. Remained on provisional certification.
The Reality: "The Math Didn't Work." Teaching full-time in Raglan + GradDip classes in Hamilton was structurally unworkable. I was succeeding at practical teaching but was too exhausted to engage with the theoretical analysis required by assignments.
"I could DO the work, but I couldn't write about doing the work."
UoA Online Graduate Diploma
Plan: Enrolling in University of Auckland Online Graduate Diploma (Secondary) for 2026.
Rationale: A fresh start with a specific focus on Secondary teaching and a more flexible online structure that fits around teaching commitments.
🌿 Te Reo Māori & Cultural Learning
Te Whanake 1: Te Kākano
Progress: ~10 chapters completed (out of 15).
Success - "The Lexicon Shift": Permanent replacement of core English words. "Kirikiriroa" comes to mind faster than "Hamilton" now. Also "Ngā mihi", "Aroha mai", "mahi", "kai".
Challenge: Good at vocabulary (kupu) but freeze on grammar when speaking.
Poihakena Marae Connection
Regular visits to Poihakena Marae in Whaingaroa.
Impact: Cultural learning (tikanga) progressed better than language. Relationships with the community are real and inform my teaching practice even when not using te reo.
University Te Reo Course
Reality: Immediately overwhelmed. Course assumed prior knowledge I didn't have. Withdrew to avoid failing grade.
Lesson: Better to consolidate basic competency via self-study than keep failing at advanced goals.
💻 Curriculum & Digital Development
Te Kete Ako Platform
The Pivot: Shifted from formal "curriculum planning" to building this resource platform.
Outcome: Built a collaborative tool for the teaching community. Learned more web development in 6 months than expected.
"Easier to share a link with students than print everything."
Understanding by Design (UbD)
Applied UbD framework to design "Treaty of Waitangi vs Treaty of Versailles" unit.
Key Learning: Backward design principles and essential questions.
Māori Wordle Game
Created a digital resource that engaged students with te reo in a gamified way.
Win: Helped engage with vocabulary without the anxiety of sentence construction.
💭 Reflections on Professional Growth
✅ What Worked
- The Lexicon Shift: Permanent replacement of core words (Kirikiriroa, mahi, kai) - these are now my default.
- Māori Wordle: Creating digital resources engaged students better than formal grammar lessons.
- Marae Relationships: Building genuine connections was more impactful than classroom theory.
- Te Kete Ako: Building a platform was more achievable and useful than writing formal syllabi.
⚠️ The Hard Truths
- Exhaustion vs. Theory: ITE programs demand theoretical analysis. I was too exhausted from full-time teaching to "play with concepts".
- The Math Didn't Work: Full-time teaching + GradDip + Te Reo study = Impossible mathematics.
- Motivation Crisis: Couldn't find motivation to write academically about teaching when I was barely surviving teaching itself.
💡 Key Realization
"Professional development needs to fit within actual capacity, not idealized capacity. Better to do one thing well than multiple things poorly. Teaching full-time leaves less energy for theoretical work than expected."
Note: PD certificates, workshop materials, and additional documentation will be added as they are organized.