MEET THE TEACHER Maria Hughes
Auckland Girls’ Grammar School Currently Teaching: English and Art History, Years 9-13 How did you come to be a secondary school teacher? I wanted to be a teacher since I was at primary school - my parents are both secondary teachers too so I had a good sense of both the challenges and the rewarding nature of the profession. Where did you train? The University of Auckland. What brought you to your current school? I knew some students from Auckland Girls’ back when I was at school so I had a sense of the fun, vibrant nature of AGGS girls and the diversity of the school’s community. Our fabulous location in the heart of the city centre was another draw card - I love that we are so close to local theatres and galleries as it makes it easy to give the girls opportunities to experience the culture of the city. What are your favourite things about being a teacher? The fact that as an English and Art History teacher I get to spend all day sharing my love of art and literature makes it a pretty awesome job. It is also pretty cool when you can see that you have ignited a new interest in a student, especially when that interest begins to extend beyond your classroom. What has been a highlight of your teaching career? Most of the highlights relate to sharing in the successes of my girls - giving back a good result that I know a student has worked hard for always give me a buzz. One of my students achieving an Outstanding Scholarship in Art History last year was definitely a highlight. And a low point? Each year it’s around Term 3, Week 7... when everyone is mentally and physically exhausted, snowed under with marking and invariably flu-plagued. How would your principal describe you? I think that she employed me as a first year teacher because she could sense my passion and enthusiasm for the job and I am still very grateful for that. I hope that four years later, she hasn’t regretted her decision! How would other teachers describe you? Hopefully as someone who gets involved and enjoys the collaborative nature of teaching. Our faculty room is a warm, supportive place and we are all keen to share an idea, a resource or a funny story from the classroom. How would your students describe you? As someone who is highly invested in them and their learning and is prepared to push them to achieve more than they thought they could. Also as someone who is strangely passionate about poetry, modern art and puns... but it does rub off on some of them! If you could wave a magic wand in your classroom? All of my students would arrive in class on time having had a healthy breakfast and there would be enough electronic devices for everyone.
CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW Scrumdiddlyumptious Storybook Game by Roald Dahl. Lagoon Games, $49.50 For fans of Roald Dahl stories - the ultimate test. Journey through your best-loved Roald Dahl stories with this storybook game. An ideal indoor game for families who have enjoyed the quirky characters in his books. Choose a character and proceed around the board. Move around the board and get to the finish first by answering the questions on the story cards correctly. This fantabulous family game not only encourages reading and listening, but also helps to develop comprehension and memory skills. For 2 to 4 PN players, aged 8 plus. F DOROTHY BUTLER CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOP, 1 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 7283 www.childrensbookshop.co.nz
Five tips for parents: 1. Encourage daily reading and share in your child’s reading experience by discussing their books at home. 2. Watch and discuss the news together to foster your child’s interest in and knowledge of the world around them. 3. Praise effort rather than intelligence. 4. Teenagers still need help developing their organisational skills. Things like checking junior students’ homework diaries and helping seniors to make study plans around exam time will help to back up the skills their teachers are also aiming to develop. 5. Come along to parent interviews if you can - we love to meet whanau and are keen to make links between school and home.
92 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2015
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)