Hagley Drama and ITM itinerant vocal teacher Rachael Schonberger's pathway into teaching could certainly not be described as conventional.

Rachael’s mother took the practical ‘you need something to pay the bills’ approach when giving her daughter career advice. Aged 18, Rachael began training as a registered nurse, following her grandmother into nursing. Newly trained and aged 21, she worked in varied health settings, including children’s nursing and emergency care. Nursing took her to the UK and to a brief stint volunteering in Malawi. While based in the UK, there were also some years of travelling with a rucksack on her back. Rachael saw many cultures and places and it was in this stage of life she realised she was deeply interested in human nature, people and their stories, and what makes them unique. She also has a background in competitive triathlon. Her interest in sports performance led her to complete a post-graduate qualification in sports medicine, teaching a sports nutrition module at the Bay of Plenty Polytech as well as running a sports nutrition business.

While she enjoyed nursing, Rachael decided her heart wasn’t in it. What she decided she was passionate about was music and performance. Rachael re-located from Tauranga to Christchurch and enrolled at CPIT in a Diploma of Contemporary Music with a performance focus, which led to her performing live in a range of venues.

The step into teaching was almost a natural progression. She had been teaching guitar, ukelele and singing at her own children’s primary school, then relieved teaching vocals in the Itinerant Music Teachers’ programme, which was her first contact with Hagley, the host of the ITM programme. Rachael completed her Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning at the University of Canterbury in 2016, which included a teaching section at Hagley, as well as some relieving here at the end of last year. This year, Rachael teaches half time in Drama at Hagley and half time in ITM vocals.

There is plenty from her own experience as a performer that Rachael applies in the advice she offers to her students. Resilience is critical. “When people critique you, you shouldn’t take it personally,” she says. Rachael encourages her students to keep centred and not let things derail them when they are performing. Under her tutelage, her students must have not just a plan B but a plan C as well for when plan A fails. That might be as simple as having a one-word trigger which helps them remember their lines when they suddenly go blank on stage.

Building confidence is a big part of being resilient too. Rachael videos her Drama students, often at dress rehearsal stage. “They have to have confidence in what they look like,” she says. Her Year 11 students initially hate the videoing experience, but grow to appreciate its value in making them better and more aware performers by seeing for themselves what they need to do to improve. For Rachael, video is the best evaluative tool in both drama and music.

Above all, Rachael is deeply interested in people, why they are who they are. She loves hearing her students’ stories and how they came to select Drama and arrive in her class. Rachael is aware too of the importance of balance in her life. Life is busy being a teacher and other things outside school are vital. For her, it’s the great outdoors and cycling, plus with the advantage of living close to the sea, walking on the beach.