1 minute read
Teaching is in the blood.
For Ngāpuhi descendants, sibling duo Greg and Imogen Van Kan, teaching tamariki (children) is in their blood.
With several family members already working in early childhood education, it’s no surprise the pair have ended up studying to become certified teachers – albeit at different times and for different reasons
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Greg says he’s had at least 20 different jobs in his life – “I’ve done pretty much every trade, worked at every fast food restaurant, worked in hotels, bars, even printing” – and hasn’t liked any of them. When his partner challenged him to think about what he’d really like to do, he thought why not get paid to “hang out” with the people he enjoys most. And, coincidentally, his sister had just started studying the same thing. When they decided to pursue careers in early childhood education, it was important to them that they found somewhere to study with the level of work experience they were after.
“I don’t think I could get through this course without having the two days a week in a centre,” says Imogen. “There’s so much more that goes into the development of children than I ever expected. Being a visual person, it’s so much easier for me to learn something in class and then see it while working.”