Room 18
Email: [email protected]
My name is Estelle Pietersen and I am delighted to be joining the Berkley whaanau and Tainui team this year. 2024 marks my 11th year in the teaching profession and I am excited to finally be reaching my dream of teaching Year 7 and 8 students.
I was born and raised in South-Africa. I moved to New Zealand when I was 11 years old and instantly fell in love with the country and the culture. I spent the next few years in Gisborne before moving to the Waikato to study teaching.
I met my husband Haydon a few years after I graduated from University. We live in Huntly and we have three beautiful kids: Cruz (13), Charlie (5) and Lily (almost 3).As you can imagine, 3 kids keep us pretty busy but we wouldn't change it for the world. On the weekends you can find us at the beach, watching or playing football, working on the house or in the garden, or exploring the beauty that is New Zealand.
Teaching has always been my dream career.As a classroom teacher it is my hope that all my students feel a sense of belonging, feel valued and feel respected. Having the opportunity to foster a love of learning, encouraging students to be the best they can be, and guiding our future leaders along their journey through life is incredibly rewarding to me.
I believe a strength I bring to the classroom is building positive relationships with my students and working with them to develop the skills they need to make good choices and meet their potential.As JK Rowling once said:"We don't need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better.”
