An Interview with the Year 9 Deans Craig Grant What are your areas of teaching expertise and how long have you been a teacher at Ōtūmoetai College? I am a Social Scientist, with a degree in History and Political Science. When I decided to become a teacher, I trained to teach History and Senior Social Studies but ended up teaching Geography at my previous school. I now teach Tourism and Junior Social Studies. I have been teaching at Ōtūmoetai College since joining the team in 2019 after moving to Tauranga from Auckland. I love working here! What were the reasons for you choosing to become a dean? It’s an incredible privilege to work with so many amazing young people with such incredible potential. For me, the work of teaching is far more than just teaching a subject or learning area; it’s about teaching young people as they journey towards being adults. A massive aspect of this journey is having people around them that support them to make good decisions. I see deaning as a different opportunity to support students as they journey through college life. So far, it’s going really well. What are your hopes and aspirations for the 2022 Year 9 cohort? We get through the year, without another lock down! I hope that every Year 9 this year feels they have had a successful year, that they have found love and enjoyment in their learning and have found their place at Ōtūmoetai College. If you could share some valuable wisdom to our Year 9 students as they begin their secondary college journey, what would that advice be? Get involved! Your experience of college is something that you will remember for the rest of your life. You may not remember what you learned or even your teachers, but you will remember what you got involved in outside of the classroom. There are so many different opportunities for you here, you just need to find them and grab them with both hands!! 8
What is a little known fact about you? Before I was a teacher, I worked as an interior designer and lighting designer. When I lived in London, I worked for an amazing lighting firm that did work for Simon Cowell, David Beckham, and the Queen!
Vanessa Hays What are your areas of teaching expertise and how long have you been a teacher at Ōtūmoetai College? This will be my 12th year at the college. I teach Geography and Sociology at the senior level, however, I’m becoming more and more interested in New Zealand history and I really enjoy teaching this in Social Studies. What were the reasons for you choosing to become a dean? Having had previous experience as a dean, one of the most rewarding aspects is being able to help facilitate solutions for all sorts of scenarios that arise in the students’ lives. This is a big motivating factor in choosing to do this role. Seeing students mature and develop over 5 years. What are your hopes and aspirations for the 2022 Year 9 cohort? To see school as more than just a place where one gathers knowledge and becomes ‘educated’. My hope is that our cohort sees Ōtūmoetai College as a community that they have an active role in shaping. I would like for them to come to appreciate that what they do here and how they see their school matters not just to them but to the wider community as well. If you could share some valuable wisdom to our Year 9 students as they begin their secondary college journey, what would that advice be? If you come into college with a positive attitude, focusing on the good things about college life, that will be reflected in your enjoyment of school during these short 5 years. What is a little known fact about you? I support West Ham United (but only for their song).
