Employment at Southland Kindergarten Association

Bevan Simpson, Head Teacher

Bevan SimpsonI am currently the Head Teacher at Otatara Kindergarten and have been an Early Childhood Teacher for twelve years. Previously I worked for a telecommunications company and spent time in Wellington and even the Chatham Islands.

I decided to give teaching a go after spending time with my daughter who was attending Longbush Kindergarten at the time. I took her to Kindergarten and really liked what I saw!

Being a male Early Childhood Teacher is such a rewarding career, especially when I know that I have the opportunity every day, to make a difference in a young child's life. I love it when children during a temporary lapse into unreality, call me "Dad" instead of "Bevan".

It is great when children include me in their play. The more I'm taken into their world, the more opportunities I get to build onto their knowledge base, to increase their understanding of how the world works, give them a secure base to further explore the world and challenge themselves, and to discover how to be courageous and confident.

There is more to life than just knowing your ABC's and 123's. Children's lives can be so packed with activities that are so often trying to make them smarter before they need to be. I would like children that attend Kindergarten to enjoy learning within the natural context of unstructured play - where they determine their own learning within a wider community of learners.