Meet the Teacher

How to go about introductions… I guess I’ll start with the fairly universal “Hi”.

I’m Kathryn. Bachelor-qualified early childhood teacher from New Zealand, with an additional New Zealand based Diploma in Montessori Education. This is my sixth year teaching children under the age of six. I’ve worked in this field both in New Zealand (Auckland) and Australia (Melbourne) and am currently based in the latter. So far, I have experienced a diverse range of early learning environments… Which is probably just university-talk for “Can’t hold down a job”.

I’ve gotta be honest. I first came into teaching young children not because I loved them so much. It was a pragmatic decision. After a ‘gap year’ exchange working in a UK prep school boarding house in Durham, I discovered I had a way with children. They would all ask whether I thought I might become a teacher when I returned home. I said no. But this was because I was ignoring my skill sets and values.

When I got back, I began to make a name locally as a singer for parties and weddings, but the lure of stable money got me looking for alternative careers. Early childhood teaching was a suggestion by someone close to me, and I scoffed. They don’t make any money, you see. But then I learned that New Zealand early childhood teachers had recently been granted pay parity with primary school teachers (who obviously made so much more money…) A primary school teacher salary, at least, was liveable. And as I began to think of all the things I wanted from my dream job, I realised teaching pre-schoolers ticked basically all the boxes: a job I could do both indoors and outdoors; a job where I could be active; where I could work with people; where every day would be different; where my skills with writing would be utilised; where my artistic and musical skills would be utilised; where I could learn valuable life skills on the job; where I could conveniently juggle motherhood one day in the future; but above all, where I would feel morally at peace with the work I was doing because I would be giving back to the community.

Fastforward through three years of hard work, essay-writing and exams, with barely any of the usual coming-of-age juicy tales to tell about uni life. I guess I can throw in there that I met the love of my life, but I didn’t know he was that at the time! He is the reason I’m getting into the Cryptosphere though, so he deserves a passing mention.

A few weeks ago I arrived at 30 years of age, five years into my vocation as a teacher and finally ready to start making a difference, both within the network of families I support through my work, and with some luck and perseverance, through the Steemit network too. If you’re interested to join me on this journey as I record my observations on educating Millennials, then don’t forget to follow me in the link!

Thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing with you more in the weeks and months to come.