Visiting Teachers
Dunedin/Clutha
Debbie Mair
Kia Ora, I am a visiting teacher and team leader with Wild Things Homebased Early Learning service.
As a trained Early Childhood teacher with over 30 years’ experience working in Early Childhood Education. I also hold my Early Intervention and Higher Teaching diploma’s.
I am passionate about teaching and learning and value a child led, play based curriculum. I believe ‘play’ is the opportunity for children to become capable learners, do things for themselves, grow their autonomy and confidence as lifelong learners.
I enjoy working along-side Educators/Kaiako, supporting and guiding them in providing quality fun learning environments for all children/tamariki, while fostering respectful relationships with parents, family/whanau when planning for children’s learning.
Alongside my passion for teaching, I also have a special interest in Children with Special Needs, valuing ‘inclusiveness’ for all children in ECE and celebrating this diversity.
Kia ora I am a Visiting Teacher with Wild Things Homebased Early Learning service. I have worked within this sector in various teaching positions for over 20 years, including the role as a Homebased Teacher.
I strongly believe in the home early learning environment as the place that offers the best of many real-life learning opportunities for tamariki. I recognise that all children, particularly those at the very beginning of life, deserve the right to be loved, to be respected as an individual, to learn at their own speed, and to have gentle guiding hands around them. Underpinning my philosophy is the idea that childhood should not be rushed, it should be a time of fun, laughter, love, curiosity with the freedom to explore. The homebased early learning experience is where all this can happen!
I am also the facilitator for Wild Things Dunedin playgroup, active movement group “Let’s Get Moving”, and the nature-based play/learning programme. While I lead these groups on a weekly basis, the Visiting Teacher team work collaboratively to ensure the underlying learning outcomes for tamariki.
Building reciprocal relationships with tamariki, whanau, colleagues, and the wider community are the foundations of my work in Early Childhood. I embrace the “3 R’s of Early Learning” – Relationships, Relationships, Relationships!