Introducing Anna Pallarès, NCEA Spanish e-teacher

" Kia ora, Hola

My name is Anna Pallarès. I am from Barcelona, where I was working as an Industrial Psychologist until I moved to Aotearoa in 1992. For the last 32 years I have been teaching Spanish language and Piano in several schools, as well as privately, to learners of all ages, from beginners to advanced. 

My native languages are Catalan and Spanish. I hold a Diploma in Piano from the Conservatory of Music in Barcelona, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Teaching from Massey University, specialising in languages and music. 

It is a privilege and a blessing to work at Kōtui Ako. The caring team leaders make me feel appreciated and valued, inspiring me to try my best at my job and to keep learning and growing. It is my second year teaching NCEA Spanish L3, after two years teaching L2 Spanish. 

Teaching online gives you a much more flexible way to help balance your personal and work life. You can work from home, and you have the great opportunity to work from anywhere in the world. Having my family overseas, this is really appreciated. I feel blessed to have been able to work from the beautiful Costa Brava, my hometown recently, which is literally the opposite side of the world. 

My aim as a teacher is to be able to inspire students to see that their learning has a real place in their lives. I believe I show enthusiasm, warmth and humour, as well as a passion for one of my native languages and culture, modelling interest and commitment. 

As a teacher, I believe it is important to apply the concept of whanaungatanga in our online classes, providing a warm and supportive environment where each student feels accepted and recognised, each cultural identity is valued, valid and legitimate; in other words, each student can be themselves. 

I see relationships as the key to maximising the learning. Therefore, as a Spanish teacher, my purpose is to bring the person who I am to the students, working alongside them, keeping ongoing communication, setting clear goals and providing encouragement, support and positive feedback, as well as embracing the Spanish language and culture as means of communication and connectedness.  

Finally, I believe we should all embrace ako while teaching, recognising the knowledge that both teachers and students bring to their learning interactions, and seeing new knowledge and understanding grow out of shared learning experiences. 

Muchas gracias”

Anna Pallarès