Behind the classroom door: A day in the life of New Zealand teachers – part seven
Real stories of dedication, challenges, and triumphs from educators in NZ. Part seven comes from a new entrant teacher on the first day of term.
In this series, Dr Sarah Aiono shares diary-style snapshots of a teacher’s day, offering a raw and real look at both the rewards and challenges they face.
By stepping into their shoes, I aim to highlight the incredible impact teachers have on students’ lives and foster a deeper appreciation for their essential, yet often under-recognised, work.
Read the latest print edition of School News online HERE.
A day in the life of a new entrant teacher: first day of the school term
4:30 AM
My alarm goes off for the fitness class I attend. I arrive home at 6:00 AM to get myself organised for my day. I then sort my son’s things out for his learning day and make sure that my husband is ready to tackle his day with our two businesses.
7:15 AM
I arrived at school with bags in hand, full of new resources for my class which I purchased over the holidays with my own money. I begin to set our class up for the day—chairs down, fresh air in. Learning through Play resources set up, water trays filled (7 buckets of water later), mud kitchen set up, big loose parts moved, and provocations set up so the children can explore. Structured literacy resources are also set out for the children to find.
I checked in with my team of teachers. I am our Junior team leader, with 4 teachers and 2 teacher aides in our team. I made sure they had everything for their day and snuck in a sweet treat for them.
8:00 AM
I welcomed children and parents back after the holidays, hugs all around, making sure that each child felt loved and seen. I handed a late report to a parent as they had been away at the end of last term, and we spoke together about a recent death involving a friend, so I was aware in case it came up in class. I also spoke with a parent from a split family about the photos they were about to receive and who should get them.
I read through emails and today’s notices.
8:45 AM
The bell rang to begin our day. After a quick hello and roll call, my 18 Year 1/New Entrants lined up, and we went to the hall for a pōwhiri to welcome our interim Principal, as our amazing Principal has currently left education!
10:00 AM
After the pōwhiri, we sat down to have some brainfood together, sending the children off to the toilet and to wash their hands.
10:15 AM
We headed back inside for our structured literacy. Most of our children are up to the concept that teaches them about the ‘sh’ rule. My 4 ELL children and 2 other children who need extra support worked independently on their phonics that I had set up, until a teacher aide came to take them for additional support.
10:45 AM
We got stuck into our calendar maths, covering the days of the week, counting forwards and backwards, the weather, and the number of the day (in both English and Te Reo). I had to remind one of my children with high needs not to lick his hands!
11:15 AM
We discussed our Learning Through Play expectations, including how to include others and remain calm. We introduced some new resources and talked about respecting our classroom equipment.
I began to take my reading groups. My first group is an ELL group, so this takes extra time explaining the structured literacy rules they have been learning, with lots of discussion around vocabulary (e.g., what a farm is) so they can understand what we are reading and talking about. After working through the lesson, it was time to glue in home learning—lots of support needed and ensuring the learning is glued into the correct books.
I roamed around the classroom and checked in on what the children were doing, taking some photos for our private class Facebook page.
12:30 PM
I transitioned my next reading group. Our new Principal popped in with our DP, so I quickly shook hands with him and then got started on my next reading group. Slight pause here as I needed to go to the wharepaku!
Morning Tea Time
It was raining, so I set the children up on my personal Netflix account with a movie rated G, which went 5 minutes into my break. As I walked to the staffroom, children stopped me for hugs and to say hi.
I headed to the staffroom for 15 minutes. I’d like to say for a breather, but there’s always a colleague who wants a good yarn!
12:45 PM
Once the bell rang, it was back to class to sort out the children’s Ka Pai Kai (lunch in schools). We said our karakia, and I handed out the kai, ensuring that the dairy-free, pork-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian options went to the correct children. I acted as a cheerleader during this time, encouraging the children to eat their healthy food. We made sure all the rubbish was disposed of properly, drink bottles were put away, and then we headed back to class. During this time, I received a message on my private messenger from a parent asking if their child’s food could be changed to dairy-free. I will forward this to the office.
1:00 PM
We reconnected as a class and got into our play and reading groups, finishing off the groups that hadn’t been seen yet. We had to skip independent writing due to the pōwhiri.
Some children from another class in my team came in for a reward, so we stopped and praised them.
When all the reading groups were done, and everyone’s home learning was glued in, we started our pack-up for the day.
Lunch Time
We went to the toilets and then got our lunchboxes. It was a child’s birthday in our class, and their whānau sent cupcakes (with a candle and lighter). We sang happy birthday and gave out the cupcakes.
Since it was still raining, we set up some wet day activities. I made sure everyone felt safe, happy, and had plenty to do.
The lunch bell rang, and I headed to our team meeting (we have this at lunchtime). We discussed this term’s focus, targeted learning groups, end-of-year prizegiving, and our end-of-year celebration. Then the bell went for lunch to finish. (Not sure if I ate or not.)
2:00 PM
The children came in, we called the roll, and packed our bags as we needed to head to the hall for our PB4L whole school assembly. I lined the children up, mindful of who should sit next to each other and who should not. We listened to this week’s focus, and I helped manage behaviours around me.
2:45 PM
We headed back to class, and I handed out the school photos, ensuring everyone had their bikes or scooters. We said our goodbyes and end-of-day karakia. The children waited on the step until I saw their whānau and then sent them off. One whānau was 15 minutes late after the bell, so I waited with that child.
3:00 PM
I did another clean of the class to make sure it was ready for the morning. It was an earlier, rather cruisy day, and I left school at 3:20 PM.
5:00 PM
Once I arrived home, I worked for another hour posting photos of our day to our Facebook page and uploading photos of the children’s home learning to remind whānau of how they could support their children. I also typed up our team minutes from lunchtime. I looked through YouTube for songs appropriate for our end-of-year prizegiving and added them to our team suggestion box.
5:45 PM
A parent messaged to ask about a missing book, which I responded to.
6:45 PM
I filled in an online Child Health Integrated Response Pathway (CHIRP) form for a child in my class who is being assessed. 106 questions later, and I’m done!
A special thank you goes to the incredible teachers who generously shared their stories for this series. These are all real accounts from real educators, whose experiences have been thoughtfully adjusted to protect the privacy of both the teachers and their communities. Their openness provides us with a genuine window into the daily realities of teaching, and we are deeply grateful for their willingness to contribute.
By sharing their personal insights, these teachers help us understand both the triumphs and challenges they navigate every day. We hope this series not only informs but also deepens our collective appreciation for the vital role they play in shaping the future of Aotearoa New Zealand.
