Staff

At PMK we have purposefully selected our teachers for their commitment to the Montessori philosophy, their diverse skills, talents and experiences they bring to their role, contributing to the creation of a strong, passionate and committed team.

To us, TEAM means:
Together
Everyone
Achieves
More

PMK teachers see education as a journey not a race. We believe that each teacher is a leader in their strength and our children are both initiators and leaders of learning. We demonstrate collaboration and reflection while actively encouraging and engaging with our community in the learning process.

Our teachers see themselves as partners in discovery and co-constructors of knowledge as we scaffold learning and guide participation. We role model on-going learning, our centre values and respect for each other and our environment.

Canaan (Manager/Teacher)

Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education), University of Auckland, NZ

Post-Graduate Diploma of Business (Human Resource Management), University of Auckland, NZ

Bachelor of Arts, University of Auckland, NZ

Fully Certificated Teacher

Canaan’s background prior to joining PMK brings to our team a strong understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach and experience as both a Lead Teacher and a Centre Supervisor.  This experience meshes well with our Montessori approach. Canaan holds a Graduate Diploma of Teaching (ECE) and a Post-Graduate Diploma of Human Resource Management along with a Bachelor of Arts. Canaan studied Montessori Education for two years with the Aperfield Montessori Trust.

Canaan seeks to facilitate an environment where children feel safe to challenge, query, take risks, ask “why” and explore their skills as natural researchers while engaging in meaning making about their world. She believes in empowering children to make decisions about their learning and in presenting them with provocations to explore new learning.

A parent to two sons and one daughter, Canaan appreciates the “ages and stages” of both pre-schoolers and school aged children, bringing this understanding to her daily work with our PMK tamariki.

Ben (Teacher)

Bachelor of Education (Montessori Early Childhood Teaching), Auckland University of Technology

Bachelor of Science (Microbiology), University of Auckland

Fully Certificated Teacher.

I enjoy being a Montessori teacher. This is because I can see the children achieving while doing things they are interested in. In order for them to succeed, our learning environment is well prepared and well organised, which leads them to achieve their own learning goals. The role of teachers is to guide and facilitate the children. This encourages children to become independent, responsible, and competent learners.

I am an experienced teacher who has taught in both Tauranga and Auckland, focussing on Montessori inspired centres. I came to NZ from Japan as a teenager on a high school exchange programme and never left! In my spare time, I love to work on car engines – Subaru are my passion!

Alexia (Teacher)

Bachelor of Teaching, Early Childhood Education. New Zealand Tertiary College.

Provisionally Certificated Teacher.

I’m passionate and enthusiastic about the value of authentic and rich childhood education. I believe each tamariki and whanau bring their own culture and knowledge to centre environments. Social equity and fairness are paramount to me, as I feel all children have unlimited potential.

I believe as kaiako/teachers it is our role to provide a welcoming supportive, fair, respectful and inclusive environment for all whom enter. I value manaakitanga and believe kaiako/teachers should work in partnerships with the families of our tamariki, because children’s families are usually at the core of their little worlds and have extensive valuable insights about their child.

I strongly connect with kaupapa māori and advocate/ practise treaty-based practice. I feel strong connections to kaupapa values which consist of caring for our environment and seeing the child as a divine spark.

I look forward to working alongside my team with your wonderful tamariki/children.

Diana (Teacher)

Bachelor of Education (Teaching), University of Auckland

Provisional Registration Pending

Kia ora tamariki and whanau. I am a very proud mother of four children ranging from young teenagers to young adults.

I have always loved working with children and when I embarked on my OE at the age of 18, I spent 8 years nannying in London and still have strong connections to the families and my charges. More recently I spent several years working at Eden Campus school for teenage mothers which was run by Auckland Girls Grammar School. It was here I realised that I wanted to be involved in children’s care and education so I decided to study and gain a teaching qualification in early childhood education.

I am passionate about children’s learning and love to see them grow, learn and explore. I believe that children learn alongside each other in a safe, nurturing environment and that all children are capable, confident, and competent learners.

I recognise the holistic way in which children learn and I value the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum.
I believe that children are their own first teachers, with the second being their parents and myself, and the third being nature where they can explore and experiment to find their own answers and make their own decisions. Given the right resourses in the right environment they are able to explore their interests with the guidance of the teacher.

Shelley (Owner/Director)

Master of Educational Administration (Honours), Massey University, NZ

Diploma of Teaching (Primary), Christchurch Teachers’ College, NZ

Fully Certificated Teacher

Shelley is the owner/director and a teacher who purposefully chose to move from the primary sector where she held a senior leadership role, to the early childhood sector because she wanted to make a difference in early learning through working among our younger learners within the preschool environment. With significant experience in the ‘transition to school process’ and a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and several years of teaching internationally within the private sector, she brings both leadership and teaching skills specific to the ‘early years’ of education.

A strong background in the acquisition of early literacy and numeracy skills and a knowledge of what makes for a successful transition to school assists Shelley in ensuring our programme represents our children’s on-going interests and needs. She is committed to reflecting and aligning the Montessori Philosophy within the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whāriki.

Shelley is a parent to three adult daughters and grandparent to four active learners. She understands the joys and challenges of parenting in today’s world!