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Travis Browne

MIDDLE ROOM TEACHER

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My name is Travis Browne and I am fortunate to be part of the teaching team at Waitetuna as the middle room teacher. We are a mixed classroom of year 3, 4 and 5 students.

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I have been teaching for 13 years from years 3-6 in Hamilton and recently shifted to work at Waitetuna in 2023. Prior to teaching I practiced law in Auckland and Hamilton. I was born in the small community of Wainui, half an hour north of Auckland but moved to the Waikato for University and have made it my home for the past 19 years, with the last 7 being based in the Waitetuna Valley. My wife Lizzie and I have two sons, Xander and Theo, who both attend Waitetuna School.

 

I believe in all of us working together to support and develop both individually and as a community. We work to our student's strengths. We have students with a variety of learning challenges and strengths and I seek to work with my class to improve in all aspects of the curriculum and life skills in general. My aim is to develop motivated and engaged lifelong learners by providing a range of learning experience both in and outside of the classroom, which will give them the ability to pursue their dreams in the future.

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In a regular week we focus on spelling, writing, reading and maths in our first two blocks and in the afternoon pursue inquiry learning, sports, science, digital tech, Te Reo, arts and other areas. We do weave together different areas of the curriculum throughout the day. My aim is that students are exposed to a diverse range of experiences during classroom time and also other opportunities such as PE and Chess/Strategy club in break times. In doing so they can explore areas of strength, but also find new areas of potential they may not have recognised.

 

As a rural school students will have the opportunity to experience our specific local environment in many ways for example, our river inquiry and Ag day. We will also be developing our social skills and talents through our involvement in the Western Cluster activities including kapa haka competition, Get Set Go Day, Football and other events.

 

I have an open door policy and feel it is important that all of us work together for the betterment of our tamariki. As the proverb goes “It takes a village to raise a child” and I believe it is through the joint efforts of the child, the whanau and the teacher that we can do the best for our children.