My family and I have been part of the Te Totara School community for 6 years, and our 3 children are either past or current pupils. We immigrated from South Africa in 2009, and made New Zealand our new home. We lived on the West Coast of the South Island for 9 years working as Dairy farmers and moved up to Hamilton in 2016, where I returned to full time teaching. I am passionate about teaching and watching children grow in their best self, in partnership with their whanau. My motto: "A teacher, takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart."