From jewellery making to primary teacher

14 September 2026

Before Katie decided to become a teacher, she had done a little bit of lots of things.

She’d completed a year of a BCom at Auckland University. She completed a jewellery qualification, but quickly realised that sitting at a bench by herself all day wasn't right for her. She worked as a barista. She did some nannying.

Then a contact told her about The Teachers’ Institute, and it felt right.

Katie chose Primary teaching because of how much younger kids change in a single year – and because she wanted to be hands on.

"I'm not someone who can sit at a desk all day. I need to be making stuff, doing activities, that kind of thing. With kids that age you can have a real impact, and there's huge learning every year. You can see from the beginning to the end how much they've learned.”

TTI appealed to her for a simple reason - most of the year is spent in the classroom, not in lectures. The practical style of learning suited her.

"You have a workshop, and then the next day you’re back in class, and you can see what you've been taught and why you've been taught it. That goes into my head a lot quicker than just sitting and listening all day."

Just six months in to her training and already she’s creating special moments. She mentions her affirming interactions with a neurodiverse student in her class.

"At the beginning, it was like you couldn't read what she'd written. It was illegible. But she's come so far, and you can see she's just going to keep going."

Katie's approach with her has been about tone.

"Being really positive with her - not saying this is wrong, but instead, how can we change this? Letting her know she can ask questions and she's not being judged."

This, she says, is an important part of being a good teacher.

"Listening to your students and being able to help all of them if they have different needs."