Indian early childhood educator embraces te reo and te ao Māori
When Arshpreet Kaur decided to change careers and countries, the former engineer from Punjab, India didn’t expect to be learning a new language on top of her native Punjabi and English.
Kaur says she had very little knowledge of te reo Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi before arriving in New Zealand, but her reverence for her own culture gave her an interest in learning more about our customs.
“I have a deep respect for my own home language, as I feel a home language makes you confident in learning other languages. When I moved to Auckland and started studying with NZTC, I gained an interest in reo Māori and felt the same respect for the language as I do for Punjabi,” she explains.
With the support of New Zealand Tertiary College staff, its specially created He Taonga resource and her Associate Teacher, Kaur picked up reo Māori words throughout her Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood Education), and began to use them in her interactions with tamariki and her centre whānau.
“He Taonga was especially helpful at the beginning to learn about basics like the Māori alphabet, greetings, colours, numbers and emotions,” she says.
“I started to use words like kaiako (teacher), waiata (songs), mōrena (good morning), kia ora (hello), karakia (prayer) and ka pai (well done) often in my conversations. My Associate Teacher noticed and taught me more words like kia tupato (be careful) and ka rawe (awesome) to extend my vocabulary, and I gradually got the confidence to use He Taonga for waiata.”
Kaur’s learning didn’t stop at te reo. After learning about the Treaty of Waitangi during the ‘Tiriti-based Early Childhood Education’ course, she realised how important it is that teachers uphold the Treaty’s guiding principles in their teaching practice, and developed an interest in Māori culture and customs.
“With the support of my Associate Teacher, I took part in Te Wiki o te Reo Māori and Matariki celebrations during my practicum, learning more about their meaning.”
When beginning her studies, Kaur was invited to a kōrero (conversation) with an NZTC lecturer to gauge her understanding of the language and customs, before a second kōrero in the final stages of her program to identify her level of improvement.
Kaur says she’s proud of the result from her final kōrero, as it highlights her commitment to Tiriti-led practice and the work she has put in throughout her study.
“I recalled the day I was in India and taking the test for the first time before starting my studies. At that time, I wasn’t able to answer most of the questions, but by the end of the program the situation was quite the opposite.
“It’s motivated me to keep learning, practicing and improving my Māori knowledge.”