Mike Stewart – Teacher Trainer in Papua New Guinea

Before leaving New Zealand Mike was living in Wellington and teaching at South Wellington Intermediate School in Newtown with a Year 7/8 composite class. He has been teaching since 2002.

What Mike is doing in Papua New Guinea

Mike is working at Vunapope Sacred Heart International Primary School as a teacher trainer, specifically working alongside the IT teacher and the PE teacher. One of his main roles is to provide in-service training to assist teachers in using technology for effective teaching and other additional strategies for quality teaching.

Making a positive impact

Although it is still early on in Mike’s assignment, he is pleased that the PE programme is now up and running pretty well. Mike says the children love it. Fixing up the computer lab so the school has a functioning network is another area of work which Mike says the kids and teachers are now really benefitting from.

Mike’s highlights so far

“It is great to see the joy in a local teacher when they succeed in something new. The most satisfaction has come when I see a teacher passing on new skills they have recently learnt to teach their own peers. “

What Papua New Guinea has taught Mike

“Working outside for sport and PE is more than a challenge when the temperature is 30 degrees plus (consistently).”

“You come to understand the importance of patience, humour and water (It is so good after two hours in the sun!)”

“Despite the frustrations back home, working in the New Zealand teaching environment you come to understand the many things we take for granted such as technological capabilities and the riches of resources in comparison to here. “

“It is ironic that back in New Zealand we crave the sun and warmth and complain when it rains. Every day here the situation is reversed. I crave cloudy days and even the rain to bring respite from the energy sapping sun.”