THE KIWI TEACHER

We’ve become so focused on measuring performance that we’ve lost sight of the learning process itself. Instead of asking how well students perform, we should be asking how far they’ve come—and what they’ve overcome to get there. When we shift from outcomes to growth, from perfection to progress, we create space for real learning to take root.

This post is about challenging the idea that learning is only valuable if it prepares students for the future. It explores how our obsession with outcomes and efficiency—especially in the age of AI—can undermine the joy and meaning found in the learning process itself. Instead, it makes a case for reclaiming learning as a deeply human, present, and purposeful experience.

This post is about moving beyond buzzwords and exploring what authentic international-mindedness really looks like in schools. It unpacks how multilingualism, intercultural understanding, and global engagement can shift from performative gestures to deeply reflective, student-driven practices. At its heart, it’s a call for courage, optimism, and action — rooted in identity, empathy, and a belief that meaningful change is still possible.

This post is about the tension between the ideal of international-mindedness and how it's often reduced to a buzzword in practice. It explores the gap between performative gestures and meaningful engagement, and why hope — not cynicism — is essential for change. I reflect on what might be getting in the way, and where we could go from here.

Effective learning is engaging, collaborative, and visible, with students at the center, actively creating knowledge.

Society’s preoccupation with learning as contributing to future success often leads us to view learning as a necessity.

When kids engage in learning from a young age, achievement follows. Therefore, enjoyment and engagement should become our key metrics.

It’s hard to ignore how many students are finally catching on to the power of generative AI. Towards the end of 2023, I found my...

For collaboration to truly take hold, we need to build it into a classroom culture. When we do, we can all succeed together.

We need to be creating free teaching and learning spaces within traditional contexts. Spaces where educators spark curiosity.

I’m not sure we have to tools to design collaboratively. What I mean is – we don’t have the time, the energy, or the know-how.

I silently wait for the karanga. Invited to cross the atea, we make our way forward. Leaving my shoes by the door, reminders of the need...

Until we are able to value, support and empower teachers in ways that are truly transformative, we’re just offering them an empty promise.

As teachers we talk a lot about feedback. But how often do we sit down, pause, and reflect on the feedback we are giving.

I think the future lies in saying, “Let’s try this”, valuing the collective expertise of educators and taking informed risks.

With the rise of at-home learning, and easily accessible information online, traditional perceptions around the role of teacher have changed

I'm sharing my experiences of homeroom time and how I think we can best utilise it to support our students growth.

Instead of meetings becoming a teachers gripe, I offer an opportunity to reframe hiw we meet through the lens of hui, wananga and talanoa.

I recently read about a group of students using a shared Google Doc to take lecture notes. The notetaking was simultaneously taken in a...

What if we began to weave together the strands of reflection AND practice, thinking AND doing, looking backwards AND walking forward.