Making Te Reo Māori more accessible

Chloe Stantiall is a Waikato local and a fifth year primary school teaching veteran. She completed her studies at the Waikato University and currently teaches at Silverdale Normal Primary. Alongside teaching, Chloe is also passionate about Te Reo Māori, a passion passed onto her from her grandfather who is fluent and well-versed in both the language and culture.

Chloe kindly carved out time in her busy schedule to chat to us about her work as a teacher and beyond.

What are some must-knows about yourself?

I am an active relaxer and avid gardener who loves spending my free time pottering about in the backyard, ensuring all my plants are thriving. I also have one niece and three nephews who keep me busy. My ideal holiday spot is our family’s bach in Pio where surfing, skating and sunshine are big drawcards. I have travelled a lot and have a particular heart and passion for the people of Laos - where I spent a year living and working. I am also very excited about building on, expanding, and exploring Te Reo Māori and enjoy attending classes every Monday night.

What inspired you to begin your teaching studies?

I’m a purpose driven person who likes to see tangible change or differences made in my day-to-day experiences. I also like variety and movement to ensure I don’t become disengaged or bored. Also, people have always fascinated me and the stories and experiences they bring are important to learn from and to speak into. The aforementioned list shows why choosing teaching, as a career path, was a logical decision. Another deciding factor was my experience and enjoyment with helping out with youth groups and working with this age group and seeing their spontaneity and rawness. We have much to learn from them, and much valuable life experience and perspective to share with them.

What are you particularly passionate about and why (within or beyond the classroom walls)?

I recently had the privilege to be appointed as the teacher in charge of developing Māori Cultural Pedagogy at my school. This has enabled me to explore ways to make the language more accessible for both teachers and students in a classroom context.

I am excited about this opportunity as I am extremely passionate about immersing myself, and sharing with others, the importance of this culture.

What have been some challenges you have faced within the teaching vocation?

I’m someone that always wants to give the best of myself to others, and with teaching there are so many facets, as well as students, that means it is hard to achieve all that you want to do at an excellence standard.

Have you had experience in other areas of work beyond teaching? If so where and why?

 I decided to take a year off teaching here in New Zealand and lived in Laos where I was captivated both by the culture and heart of these people. During my year there, I worked as an English language teacher and mentor to young tribal girls who were training in our vocational programme. This experience of working beyond New Zealand gave me valuable life experience and knowledge about different cultural norms and everyday realities faced by those in a third world context. 

What does your job look like as a teacher during Alert Level 3 of New Zealand’s COVID-19 Alert System ? 

During Level 3, I will be completing a two day on, two day off system of teaching, with a small number of students who are in my syndicate. I will also continue to release online material for the rest of my students who are still at home. 

Some tips from Chloe, on educating children at home, will be shared in our next blog post. 

Writer: Abigail Uttley