I am a
Mapmaker and Pathfinder
Isn’t that a strange thing to say on a page called Education Interwoven? It’s true, though. My father was a cartographer, back when his work meant trips to new places, surveying on foot all to be found there, and then coming home to create maps by hand. I desperately wanted to follow in his footsteps. But my father, in his wisdom, suggested that this would not be the next generation of mapmaking. And he was right. And so I stepped into a different world of discovery, that of education. And found that it’s not so very different. We explore ourselves, we learn what’s there and we create a map to get to where we dream of going. I think that this sometimes gets lost. And yet, it is the most important thing we will ever do - discover who we are and choose where we wish to go…
I work with an emphasis on finding and gifting to ourselves what we can then pass on to our children…
“For what it’s worth, it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you find you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.”
R Scott Fitzgerald
I am a qualified, registered teacher and parent, also qualified in neuro linguistic programming,
working with the belief that wellbeing, including our wellbeing, underpins best outcomes for children, and that this wellbeing is founded on knowing and finding joy in being ourselves and that this beautiful uniqueness is always enough.
“At the intersection of where your gifts, talents and abilities meet a human need, therein lies your purpose”
Mapmaking & Pathfinding:
My gift, talent and ability.
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Dream it.
A curriculum for all.
Imagine working where we are all competent learners, healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in our sense of belonging and in the knowledge that we make a valued contribution to society, just by being who we are.
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Build it.
Wellness for all.
Imagine working where we are encouraged to keep our four walls strong, and where we work to build each others’ walls brick by brick, and rebuild where walls are knocked down. Allowing each other’s walls to be built to their own design, no-one else’s.
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Grow it.
Stories for all.
Imagine working where we tell our stories; where our stories are listened to and celebrated; where we can dance in the light of all that we are. How do we capture their beauty?
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Share it.
Leadership for all.
Imagine working where our leadership works with us to explore who we are and the ideas that we have, to help us find our own inner leader and have confidence in ourselves and our own uniqueness.
Teachers change the world.
With everything we do we are creating the future. With everything we sew into ourselves and our practice, we are weaving the next generation. What we do matters. It is inspiring. It is a calling. It is a responsibility. It is life.
So weave well.
And weave long-term.
I believe that the best way is to consider that we are only able to gift what we have been given.
What we aspire to give to our children in New Zealand is beautiful. Do we also gift every element to ourselves and each other as teachers?
Weaving it into our identity and purpose, knowing our identity and purpose, so that it can’t help but become part of the pattern of our work, will change the world forever.
May I help you to weave your story?
I can take you from frayed and torn to repaired and repurposed.
Re-find your balance, re-establish your inner strength, re-find your joy, re-find yourself.
“What unites people? Armies? Gold? Flags? Stories! There’s nothing in the world more powerful than a good story. Nothing can stop it. No enemy can defeat it.”
Tyrion; Game of Thrones
Tapestries tell a story. And whatever yours is, the way you tell your story, and the way you write your story going forwards, is a choice. Make it a thing of beauty. Make it glorious!
