Colleen Nicholson
Room 6
started my teaching career as a secondary teacher of science and maths in London and enjoyed that. But after being a volunteer in Sri Lanka, VSO asked me to join their staff and I had a long break from teaching, though I remained working in education, training and development.
When our family moved to NZ in 2001 I retrained as a primary teacher and have been teaching here for 15 years, 13 of them at St Josephs.
I enjoyed working as a secondary teacher, but primary teaching is my real love, and it's because we spend so much more time with our students, and we teach right across the curriculum. It's a very creative job. As a primary classroom teacher I get to know each and every child so well, and I feel I have the chance to really make a difference. When we see a child begin to love to read, or sing, or draw, or get deeply into science, to discover something new they can do, to know how to treat others lovingly and kindly, it's a real joy.
I felt very welcomed as soon as I began teaching at St Joseph's and it is that welcoming, open spirit that makes it a special place to teach and learn. It's a close and supportive community, and we see siblings and often generations of families coming though.
My happy place is in my garden, reading, enjoying Nelson's beautiful outdoors, cooking and sharing food with friends and family.
Colleen welcomes communication from parents and caregivers. Please email her:
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