Humanities, History, EnglishWhat type of job are you looking for? A teaching job at secondary school level. I have experience teaching teenagers 13-18 years of age. History is my favoured topic, but I've been teaching 'Social Studies' for some time also. I have a degree in History (and Cultural Heritage) from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. What nationality are you? I'm a New Zealander. Born in NZ. Live currently in Auckland. What languages do you speak (and at what level)? English - fluently What country or area are you looking to work in and why? Morocco, Italy, France. I'd like to work in Europe/Africa for some years. Gives me a chance to travel in my time off. Teach and meet new people. To immerse myself in a culture of a country means working there. The rhythms of the place can only be discovered by being there for some time. What countries have you worked in? New Zealand, Australia What countries do you have a visa to work in? Have British Passport What field do you currently work in? Teaching at secondary school. Students ages 13-18 years. What fields have you worked in before? Parenting of my own children for some years. Computer operating before that. Office admin. More recent years have gained teaching qualification and become teacher of History/Social Studies/Humanities What qualifications do you hold? Bachelor of Arts (History)from University of Auckland. Diploma of Secondary Teaching - University of Auckland. Which do you consider more valuable? Formal education or skills and why? Both formal education and skills. Formal because it gives you expertise in your teaching subjects. Students respect your professional qualifications and we are role models for them. Secondly, skills are vital. Social skills (you need them in a classroom of 30 children). IT skills - it's 2010 so you need to be savvy about delivering lessons with IT. Alternatively you need skills to diversify the learning when things crash and you have to take them outside with chalk on the ground to learn graphs or maps! You have to have the skills to think on your feet in teaching. Describe the benefits of working with others You see how they (your colleagues) work, learn from them (sometimes you learn what NOT to do!) You meet new people in the workplace, some of them become friends. Working with students keeps you aware of the ideas of the next generation. Describe the benefits of working alone Working alone (I do this often, as I'm a published author and continue to write school books under contract to a publisher). So I work alone when I'm writing. The benefits are that you can get plenty done, complete tasks uninterupted and produce high standard work. It give you individual self esteem. What was your worst working experience? Probably a fight in a classroom where two boys attacked each other. I was much smaller than either of them and had to get between them to prevent further bloodshed. It was terrifying, but I managed it with sheer determination and fortitude. I can be fierce if absolutely necessary. They both went to hospital for stitches (not from my intervention, but from their fight). What is the most important lesson you have learnt throughout your career? To keep patience and have a sense of humour. Be self deprecating. I do my best every day, but of course some days are not as successful as others. Some days are a huge and surprising success. I'm old enough to see the bigger picture. The world keeps turning no matter how bad a day can be. Tomorrow will present new and interesting classroom challenges. What unique skills do you have? Story telling is probably my best skill. I have had 4 books published (both fiction and non-fiction). My writing skills are not that special but my ability to tell a good story is the x-factor that gets me published. What would you consider as your 'dream job'? Working at an English speaking International School in Italy, France or Spain or Morocco. Learning a new culture, teaching social sciences, learning a new language. What are the most interesting aspects of your field? The students I teach. Each year I teach around 225 different teenagers for an entire year. Getting to know them, them getting to know me, seeing their knowledge grow throughout the year. Being part of that is rewarding. Feeling proud of them (mostly!). No day is boring in a school full of adolescents. We become like a type of dysfunctional family! You learn to like even the 'unlikeable' ones. What are the least interesting aspects of your field? Administration.Inevitably schools are a bureucracy and there are tedious bits of paperwork to be done. A necessary part of the job but have no excitement associated with them. What makes you interested in working in a foreign country? I have grown up children of my own and life experience but have not had the oportunity to work overseas before now. I am financially independent and free to be as mobile as I like. I am well qualified to teach and my writing/publishing of educational books would definitely benefit from an extended period of working in another culture. I've always wanted to live and work in a foreign country to become part of the place. Not as a tourist but a member of the community. How can potential employers contact you? EMAIL terri.kessell@gmail.com OR terri.kessell@ajhs.school.nz PHONE 64 09 4460027 MOBILE PHONE 64 02102291117 | 
