Vanessa Donald
Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching
Sophie Macintyre
Sophie Macintyre always knew she wanted to be a teacher. At Waikato, she was finally able to forge her path, building the confidence, skills and relationships that continue to support her in the classroom today.
Primary Teacher
Hamilton
Sophie Macintyre always knew she wanted to teach. Growing up with a teacher for a mum meant that even when she wasn’t at school herself, she was spending her before and after-school hours in her mother’s classroom.
For Sophie, following in her mum’s footsteps was inevitable, but it was during her study towards a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) (opens in a new tab) that she truly began forging her own path.
The degree provides future primary and intermediate teachers with a solid foundation across the New Zealand curriculum.
A key component of the programme is the yearly practicums, where student teachers spend time teaching and observing in local schools.
Sophie says her practicums were a chance to test what she had learned, build confidence in the classroom and begin developing her own approach to teaching.
“I actually got to put things into practice and see it happening in real life,” she says. “I drew from the knowledge I had gained during my studies but also tailored things to my students’ needs.”
Sophie says the relationships she formed during her practicums and in her on-campus classes played an important part in her growth as a teacher.
One of the biggest things about study in general is the people you meet, the perspectives they bring and the different life experiences they’ve had.
Face-to-face tutorials gave her the opportunity to talk, collaborate and learn from those around her, broadening her understanding of the different backgrounds.
Reflecting on her experience, she says she “learned a lot about different cultural practices from my peers, including how it can affect teaching and learning”.
Some of those relationships have continued beyond university. Sophie remains close with two friends from her degree who are now fellow teachers. They regularly catch up for “report writing dates” and to talk through what’s happening in their classrooms.
She says, “It’s so beneficial just getting other people’s ideas and having those people you can go to and go, ‘My gosh, my class is difficult right now. I don’t know what to do,’ and knowing that they’re not going to turn around and judge you.”
Now in her third-year teaching Year 4, Sophie says the importance of relationships extends to the students in her own classroom.
“Relationships matter,” she says. “Building relationships with your students, understanding them and showing an interest in them. When you build that relationship, then learning can come.”
