The Reasoning Behind New Zealand

My main reasoning behind choosing to teach abroad in New Zealand is tied to something that's both a personal and professional ideal of mine. I believe that one of the best and most effective ways of learning things is to genuinely experience them and that someone cannot truly become a well-rounded, educated person without experiencing everything possible that the world has to offer, this includes other cultures. As a person, I highly value being able to understand, communicate with, and teach about other cultures and peoples throughout the world. Without this sort of knowledge, it would likely be exceedingly difficult to succeed in life and relationships. We would otherwise be without an understanding humans function.

As a teacher and a developing professional, I believe that traveling and experiencing other cultures really opens your eyes to the world that exists beyond our own comfortable spheres. It also helps us to gain better understandings of what it is exactly that we are teaching our students. Without a true understanding of certain topics, it's difficult to be able to teach our students as thoroughly as possible.

So over the next couple months of my experience in New Zealand, I hope that I am able to get a more intimate knowledge of New Zealand and its people. It is a country that is not given nearly as much attention as it deserves in our society. I hope to especially learn a great deal of the indigenous Maori people, their history, and their culture in addition to the general New Zealand people and cultures. As a history/social studies teacher, it would help me out a good deal when I have to teach about the dilemmas that many indigenous peoples around the world have faced over the past centuries. In regard to my personal development, I hope that I will be able to truly experience the "Kiwi" culture and that it will help me to gain an appreciation for a culture that I've never gotten the chance to be part of in the slightest bit.

It's hard for me to put into concise words exactly what it is I hope to gain from this experience, but I hope that it all helps me grow in my career as a teacher and as a person.