Iron House Deans

I am so looking forward to working with all of you this year.

As most of you know I have been teaching at MAC for some time – 21 years to be exact. Before Mount Aspiring College I taught all over New Zealand then took a year off to do the traditional OE where I visited amazing countries and met amazing people. Returning to NZ eventuated in marriage and a beautiful daughter. Stephen is my husband, Anna who is now 25, is my daughter. Family is very important to me. Just recently I have had to put my beautiful father into care . He was living with us but due to his condition , dementia, he needed more specialised help that I could not provide. This I find very difficult and at times I can be sad . This is me . I am sensitive and sometimes my emotions just happen .?

My Roy Whanau RWT have provided huge support over the years and I will miss the dearly, but…. I am so honoured and grateful that some of my whanau have decided to make the move to Iron House with me ??. We are all very excited about the changes 2020 will bring and we are so looking forward to building a whole new set of relationships with the amazing Iron House students.

So what do I do when I am not teaching ? Well , I just love cooking, gardening, travelling, cycling ??‍♀️, running – I am not fast, hiking and just chilling with friends ?

My special passion is Nepal. Last year I took a school group to Everest Base Camp and had the most amazing time. As some of you will know I totally love the Year 8 camp at Berwick – it is everything you could ever want: fun, physical challenges, great food ; it is just the best. Well , my trip to Base Camp with last year’s crew blew all school camps out of the water . It was amazing , absolutely amazing. Next year Dan and myself will be taking another trip to Everest Base Camp – maybe some of you will join us?

So that I think is me . If you want to know more please just ask. I am a real people person – would rather talk than email but I do understand that often emailing is easier.

Please know that your year group does not matter when it comes to needing advice or even just chatting . I may be titled the Junior Dean but I am here for all of you . My door , the wee office beside Room 20 , is always open. Please come and visit ? you are always welcome x 

My name’s Charlotte and I’m nearly a local having lived in Wanaka for the last 28 years. I’m married to Dave and we have 2 gorgeous grown up daughters; Harriet who is 24 and Nell who is 22. They both live and work in Wellington.

I’ve worked in Primary and Secondary schools in teaching and admin roles and have had jobs in hospitality, tourism and event planning.

I love my current job here as Careers Advisor and Dean at MAC. Helping young people navigate school and plan their next steps is a privilege and pleasure.

You can find me at URSpace inside the Gym foyer when I’m not riding my e- bike or getting coffees …

I look forward to meeting and working with you all in 2020.

My journey into teaching was a circuitous one. I started my working life during my holidays living at the Penrith Camping Ground and working at Relishes café. It was, at the time, the only café in town with an espresso machine. 

My university career was punctuated with significant time spent volunteering at the student radio station, Radio One, and teaching aerobics at UniPol. While my degree was in English, for the next 15 years I was never far from a microphone – eventually running rdu, Canterbury University’s Student Radio Station and, following that, managing group fitness for Les Mills Gyms in Christchurch. 

Over those passing years, and with a couple of important law changes introduced that banned discrimination against people for their sexuality, it came to me that being a teacher was now a very real possibility.

I gained my Teaching Diploma from NZGSE and was away, working my first couple of years at Christchurch Boys’ and Cashmere High School before making the big life move to Wanaka, 17 years ago. 

Since then I’ve had a 7 year stint (I really like prime numbers) teaching in central London, which allowed me to prove beyond doubt that our humanist methods of teaching really do ‘work’ on all young people, no matter what their creed, background or attitude. This experience rounded off my professional development, and it was time to return home with my Italian partner Ivan. 

Since my return in 2017, I have been very fortunate to take back my old position of Teacher of English and have spent a marvellous couple of years working as Co-dean of Year 13 with Charlotte. 

I love our Wanaka life. I take none of it for granted. My spare time (ahem) is spent divided pretty evenly between reading, cycling, running and swimming and I genuinely like the fact that there’s not a time I can go to the supermarket without encountering someone I know. We are a wonderful community.

We have so many exciting plans for Iron House, and I can’t wait to begin introducing these to you.