MEET THE TEACHER ESTHER GRAHAM Auckland Girls’ Grammar School CURRENTLY TEACHING: English and Art History HOW DID YOU COME TO BE A TEACHER? Clichéd as it may sound, I’ve always wanted to do a job where I can “make a difference.” By the time I got to seventh form, I had to acknowledge that my strengths and interests lay far more in the arts than the sciences, so I discarded my dream of being the next Fred Hollows, and enrolled in a BA. While at university I ran the children’s programme at my church and enjoyed trying to come up with creative ways to engage the kids. After university I travelled around Latin America and ended up as volunteer English teacher to at-risk kids in Montevideo, Uruguay. It was hard work but felt ‘worthwhile’ and I wanted to be better at it. So I returned to New Zealand and enrolled in the University of Auckland’s Diploma of Secondary Teaching course. WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO AGGS? I had been teaching overseas for three years (in Italy and then Macau) and was ready to come back to New Zealand when a friend of mine at AGGS told me there was a job coming up. I was very keen to work at Auckland Girls’ because I had heard great things about the school and had a funny feeling that it was my destiny! The school has a very dedicated staff and punches significantly above its weight when compared with similar decile schools. It has a wonderful multicultural mix of students who share a great school spirit. There is a feeling of aspiration that pervades the place which is great to be part of, and perhaps why eight years later I am still here. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT BEING A TEACHER? Getting paid for talking about things I love - art and literature - and hopefully igniting a love of those subjects in some of the students! There is great satisfaction seeing students reach their personal best. I always shed a few tears at prizegiving. The relationships formed with students can be very rewarding. It is humbling when a student confides in you. Occasionally the connection formed is such that they continue to keep in touch and, over time, you become friends. I remember during my teacher-training my lecturer said that when we teach, we don’t teach our subject, we teach ourselves. I didn’t fully understand this for a few years. We think we’re teaching English or Maths but on a deeper level we’re imparting our values and modeling various ways of being in the world. This is a big responsibility… and it’s a privilege. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR TEACHING CAREER? In 2010 one of my Art History students, Zoe Crook, was named Top in New Zealand for the Scholarship exam and in 2012, Rosza Majsa (a Ponsonby local!) was also named Top Scholar of the subject. I was so thrilled for both of them, partly as their teacher, but also because when I was in seventh form I gained the same award, so I knew exactly how exciting it felt for them.
The other highlight of last year was that one of the students in my GATE group, Nardos Tilahun, won the Living Rainforest international essay competition. The prize was a trip for the student, her parent and her teacher to the Rio+20 UN conference on sustainable development in Brazil! It was an amazing opportunity to see world leaders in action… and to enjoy the sights in Rio for a week. HAS THERE BEEN A LOW POINT IN YOUR TEACHING CAREER? The low point of my teaching career was burning out towards the end of my second year. I was teaching at Onehunga High School and was enjoying it but I took on too many co-curricular responsibilities and didn’t have good strategies for dealing with stress or the workload. However, ultimately that was the impetus for going to Italy for a working holiday (where I met my husband) so it all worked out in the end. HOW WOULD YOUR STUDENTS DESCRIBE YOU? Passionate. They sometimes mock me for my excitement about an artist or a text. In one of my first years at AGGS, the class presented me with a t-shirt with the words ‘Pathos’ on it because of the amount of times I had exhorted them to “feel the pathos” in King Lear and The Crucible. I try to project high expectations and I think students sense how much I want them to succeed because sometimes they tell me how worried they are about disappointing me. FIVE TIPS FOR PARENTS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL KIDS • Listen. Seek to understand before you seek to be understood. • Have a sense of humour and remember, it’s just a phase. • Set boundaries but be reasonable. Overly strict rules encourage teenagers to be secretive or even lie. • Help your child develop time management skills and balance study with relaxation. • Praise effort rather than intelligence. Encourage them to embrace challenges and reinforce the idea that success is a product of hard work. PN
AGGS 125 YEAR ANNIVERSARY - CELEBRATIONS DURING QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND This year’s Joint Head Girl, Susanna Lees Watts, has had a special connection with Auckland Girls’ Grammar School her entire life. She and Annie Whitelaw, the first Principal of Auckland Girls’, both grew up in the same house in Herne Bay. While separated by a century, both women share a passion for excellence. Lees Watts, describes her school as a “multi-cultured, friendly school with strong ‘sisterhood’ values. And while residents of Ponsonby will be well used to the noise that accompanies a proud sisterhood, they may be surprised to learn that between 1888 and 1907 that sisterhood was protected by a 14 foot wall when the Boys and Girls Grammar Schools shared the same site. If the wall wasn’t enough to ensure the two sexes spent minimal contact in each other’s company, the girls’ were required to use a separate entranceway and their lessons ended five minutes before the boys. Susanna herself is no stranger to academic excellence having collected the Academic Diligence Award at Ponsonby Primary, the overall Academic Excellence Award at Ponsonby Intermediate and in her previous four years at AGGS has taken home the year nine award for top student, the year 10 Deans Award for contribution to the school and gained her NCEA Level 1 and 2 with Excellent
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Endorsement. Last year she was selected for the Sir Peter Blake Enviroleaders’ Forum and also the inaugural Sir Peter Blake expedition to the Kermadec Islands. Quick to deflect the attention from herself, Susanna says, “I couldn’t have imagined all the opportunities that I have had, I have strong, caring teachers and I love the diversity of the school and of having friends from different backgrounds.” This year marks the 125th anniversary of Auckland Girls’ Grammar School. Since its humble origins on Symonds Street in 1888, where it provided education for 78 students, to its present location on Howe Street accommodating 1400 girls from all around the city, it has been preparing young women who are, as their vision suggests, to be ‘equipped for the world.’
AGGS 125th Anniversary is being celebrated during Queen’s Birthday weekend: 31 May - 2 June 2013. The school is planning a wonderful weekend and hope, that many former students and staff will join them for one or more of the planned events. PN www.aggs.school.nz PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)