Our People
The Courtyard Montessori Preschool has six highly experienced teaching staff with over forty years' combined teaching experience. All teachers have a Diploma of Teaching in Early Childhood Education and a Montessori Diploma or are in the process of receiving these qualifications.
My association with early childhood began when I attended Playcentre with my oldest son nineteen years ago. I became hooked on the importance of early childhood learning and development for children through early childhood experiences within the early childhood sector. I initially studied child development and became a Playcentre Supervisor whilst my children were young. However it was the philosophy of Maria Montessori that really grabbed my attention after experiencing the philosophy and method while on my overseas travels some years earlier. When the opportunity to study toward the Montessori Diploma presented itself here in Christchurch I grabbed the moment and graduated with the Montessori Diploma in 1995. I commenced work at the Courtyard Montessori Preschool in a teaching capacity soon after and I have been happily working at the preschool ever since.
After several years working as a teacher within the preschool I successfully applied for a senior teacher position and worked closely with the two previous principals in both a teaching and administrative capacity. I hold an Early Childhood Diploma and Bachelor of Teaching and Learning (ECE), and am always looking for further challenges. I became Principal of the Courtyard at the beginning of 2005 when our long serving teacher and Principal decided to step down. I have enjoyed the many and varied roles the position of Principal has afforded me and I continue to look forward to the continuing challenges and changes embracing the early childhood sector.
Kia Ora, and welcome to our website. I have been a member of the fantastic teaching team at the Courtyard since 2001. I began here as a part-time teacher and have gradually increased my role to this point in time. I now teach full-time in Room 2 with Helen and Debbie and support Shelagh in my role as senior teacher.
I currently hold the Aperfield Montessori Teaching Diploma and a Bachelor of Teaching and Learning.
The Courtyard is a wonderful preschool to be involved with as we have a strong sense of community. I value being a part of a great teaching team and supporting our lovely families with their children's learning and development. Having the professional guidance of a Board of Trustees also contributes significantly to our preschool's wonderful environment.
I live with my husband Peter and my youngest daughter Gloria in Beckenham and enjoy the chaotic bustle of extended family every second weekend.
From my very early teens I started babysitting, looking after two children and at the age of 16, I was offered a nanny position in the US over two American summers. This was a great experience for me and made me realise that working with children was definitely a career I wanted to work in, and to be successful in this career I needed to obtain my qualifications.
In 2000 I was accepted at Rangi Ruru, with the goal in mind to obtain my Nanny Certificate. This I achieved and made some great friends that I still have today. At the end of 2000, I was offered a very good nanny job, which made me return to the workforce for a couple of years. In those two years, I gained some fantastic experience in working with a wide variety of children and families with whom I still keep in touch.
In 2003 due to a job ending, I returned to Rangi Ruru to complete my diploma of Early Childhood Teaching. This I found very scary joining a new class, but I soon settled in and really enjoyed meeting a group of new people. While studying at Rangi Ruru I experienced a practical teaching placement at St Andrews and really enjoyed learning all about the Montessori Method of teaching. After finishing this placement, I had the opportunity to commence the Diploma of Montessori Education. I graduated from Rangi Ruru in November 2005 and had already obtained a position working at Airdmhor Montessori where I taught for 18 months. I have now completed my Diploma of Montessori Education and I am looking forward to sharing new experiences as a teacher at the Courtyard.
I love being involved with children because they are full of surprises and information and they are very willing to learn. There is also nothing more rewarding than watching children grow, develop and progress through life.
I feel privileged to begin my career in early childhood at the Courtyard. I started babysitting at high school to earn money and soon realised that I enjoyed working with children. So during 6th Form (year 12) I applied and was accepted into the Rangi Ruru Early Childhood College three-year Diploma of Teaching course. The course started February 2006 and during the first year I gained many experiences in the home and centre settings and gained my Nannying Certificate.
Over the next two years I experienced working with a variety of different aged children and centres through practical placements. It was in my last practical placement at the Courtyard that really captured my interest, with not only a philosophy I hadn’t experienced but also a lovely environment where I was able to feel comfortable working with the staff, children and families. I had never been in a Montessori environment before and as my understanding of the philosophy increased the more interested I became. The job opportunity opened up at the Courtyard at the end of last year and after plucking up my courage, I applied for the position of teacher and was thrilled to be offered it.
I graduated from Rangi Ruru Early Childhood College in November 2008 and commenced working at the Courtyard not long after. So far I have had the advantage of working in both classrooms, which has provided me with the opportunity to meet with all children and families.
During this year I will start my studies toward a Montessori Diploma, which will help to further my understanding of the Montessori philosophy and method of education.
I am looking forward to the year ahead, where I will be able to develop my relationships with the families and children at the Courtyard and become a valued member of the teaching team.
My name is Debbie Cocks and I have the privilege of teaching with Paula and Helen in the Room 2 morning class. In the afternoons I work alongside Danielle and Maree in Room 1 with the extended and full day class.
I have lived in this community from the age of ten, attending Somerfield School, then Christchurch South Intermediate and finally Cashmere High School. I have been married to my husband Dave for almost 29 years, and have four children; three boys and one girl, ranging in age from 26 to 12 years.
I worked alongside my husband in our Printing Supply Business for over twenty years. In 2006 I decided to fulfil my dream and enrolled at Christchurch Teachers’ College to start my Early Childhood career. While I was at college, I was fortunate to spend five weeks on a teaching practice placement at a Montessori preschool. I was impressed by the centre and became interested in the Montessori philosophy. In my third year of training, I chose a philosophy paper that allowed me to spend the year looking further into Maria Montessori’s life, her interest in child development and methods of education. After completing the Bachelor of Early Childhood and Learning, I was convinced that this was a philosophy that I wanted to work within.
I was thrilled to be accepted to the position of Teacher here at the Courtyard Montessori Preschool and started my employment in January 2010. I have completed book one of the Montessori Diploma and this year I look forward to completing books two and three.
Hi, I’m Maree and I am the new teacher in Room 1.
I live with my husband, Shane – Head of Department Music and Arts at Riccarton High School, and our two children, Caleb, 11 and Tessa, 9 who are at South Intermediate and Somerfield School.
I have a passion for music and in my spare time I sing and perform with Southern Opera and at weddings and concerts. In my distant past I was a tailoress for Zambesi in Auckland and would make the samples and help get together the range for the Summer and Winter seasons and New Zealand Fashion Week every year for five years until the birth of my son.
But it was only when I took over taking preschool music classes from a friend returning to full-time work seven years ago, that I really decided what to do with the rest of my life. Three years ago I decided to embark on a centre-based Diploma through the University of Canterbury, College of Education and the rest, so they say, is nearly history. In December 2010 I graduated and started my new career in early childhood education.
I will start working towards my Montessori Diploma in July 2011. I want to say how welcome I have felt coming in to this wonderful community and how truly blessed I feel to be here.
My association with the Courtyard began in May 2005 when my British husband and I enrolled our daughter upon our return from living in the UK. By the time our daughter was due to start Primary School a year later I had already applied for the vacant Office Administrator role. I was delighted to be appointed to the position and started working at the Courtyard in May 2006, the same week that my daughter started Primary School.
I have worked in administrative and secretarial positions in Wellington, Auckland and London to senior level, since 1982. However, after spending 18 years working for a large multi-national company (both in NZ and the UK), I relish the Courtyard environment where teaching staff, Board members and parents alike work so hard for the collective good of the children.
Office hours are from 8:15am - 1.15pm.
Hi, I’m Michelle and I am the new Lunch Time Auxillary at the Courtyard. I work from 12-2pm helping the children with their lunch, general cleaning and tidying and doing any odd jobs that the teachers require.
I live with my husband Darren and our two children Breanna 12, and Joshua 8, who both go to Our Lady of the Assumption School. Way back at the beginning I trained as a registered nurse but the unavailability of jobs when I qualified steered me in a different direction. I went into the hospitality industry and worked my way up over a period of ten years to a head chef and duty manager position in a local Bistro. In 1998 I gave up work to become a full-time mother, a job which I relish.
As my children grew I became involved in their preschool education working on committees and being chairperson for a total of three years between the two of them. When they moved on to school I jumped at the chance to help out in the classroom and on field trips and sports days. I have also been helping run the school lunches for the last two-three years. It was during these times that I have realised how much I love working with children.
I want to say how welcome staff, children and parents alike have been to me since I took up this position at the beginning of the year. This is a wonderful community and I look forward to coming to work each day.
