George is the incarnation of the ideal school bus driver. He is patient, kind, attentive and, best of all, he has a wicked sense of humor. George is quick to learn the names of the children (although he complained a bit about our choice of names), greet them with a smile each day and drive them safely to school. In the event of a student disruption, he calmly disentangles the situation. We have utmost respect for George and enjoy seeing his cheerful face every day.
The School Bus Stop Social Circle consists of (from left to right in the photo below) Fran, Gay, Pauline, Lance, and Jennifer. They provide oodles of good advice on what to do and where to go for a doctor, a dentist, school shoes, whatever Beth needs. Beth owes immeasurable thanks for all the cultural innuendos she learned from them as well as a few new words. Most importantly, the School Bus Stop Social Circle provides twenty minutes of warm companionship and good hearty laughs to start the day. Fran, Gay, Pauline, Lance, and Jennifer have warmly made Beth feel a part of the Puhoi community.
Mal is Xavier’s AWESOME piano teacher. From the onset, it was obvious that these two were going to have fun making music together. We started with a half-hour lesson that always ended up being much longer. They had trouble stopping. After a couple weeks, we decided that we should just make the lesson longer and let them play. Xavier routinely walks out of his lesson grinning. Mal shows enthusiasm for guiding Xavier. He clearly wants to help Xavier learn and grow with his piano playing. Mal has a willingness to tailor the program to fit Xavier’s ability and interests. All of this, coupled with a gifted blues/jazz pianist, has made Mal a perfect fit for Xavier. He has made so much progress this year!
Ross is Quentin’s AWESOME trumpet teacher. I can’t believe how lucky we have been this year with musical instruction! Quentin decided that he wanted to learn trumpet, so soon after our arrival in New Zealand, we bought him an instrument and started to search for a trumpet teacher. There are not many in New Zealand. Trumpet is not one of the more popular instruments. After researching this carefully, we found a very talented teacher who is both encouraging and effective. Always smiling and soft-spoken, Ross creates a peaceful ambiance in which to learn a rather loud and brassy instrument. Quentin leaves each lesson feeling eager to improve. Thanks to Ross’s artful advice, Quentin is playing the trumpet!
Heather and Roger run Horse Riding Warkworth where Quentin, Annick and Isaac go riding each week. The children have gone horse riding a couple times before coming to New Zealand, but they never had the opportunity to go weekly to a farm full of horses only five minutes from school. Heather and Roger are genuine and caring souls who enjoy sharing their love of horses with others. Theoretically, we show up for a one-hour horse ride/lesson, but it is always much more. The children are included in preparing their horses and then after, getting them ready to go to the paddock. Heather is brilliant at figuring out the right horse for each child and making subtle suggestions that help them improve without creating self-doubt. After several months of horseriding with Heather, the children have become confident riders.
Kerry taught Xavier and Quentin how to scuba dive at Goat Island Dive Center. Kerry is bubbly, warm and playful while being knowledgeable and thorough with the requirements of the course. When the boys showed any shadow of doubt, Kerry was quick to dispel it and show them that they could do it! And they did! Under her thoughtful tutelage, Xavier and Quentin now look as comfortable underwater as they do on land. (Yes, the crayfish on their heads are real - and delicious.)
Teachers and Friends: There are too many to picture here, but we are grateful to the many teachers and “mates” who have befriended us this year. Both Warkworth Primary and Mahurangi College have provided nurturing environments where our children have been able to learn, play, explore, discover and develop. The children have made friends with many kind, imaginative and outdoorsy children.
