This year Nayland College has been lucky to have a fantastic group of new teachers join our whānau. Throughout the year we will be profiling our new recruits in the newsletter so you can get to know them. Today we are saying hello to our new maths teacher Missy Seymour.

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

I was born in Motueka, just a short drive from Nayland College and spent my whole childhood there. I attended Motueka High School before moving away for university.

Where else have you lived before coming to Nelson?

Christchurch and Auckland

What other jobs did you have before becoming a teacher?

I worked for Kiwibank for a couple years in between travelling. And did an internship at the Department of Conversation, I had a project collecting data on freshwater fish around the Tasman area.

Why did you decide to be a teacher – and what drew towards becoming a math teacher specifically?

I love to learn and pass my knowledge on. At a young age, I coached athletics and so then being a teacher kind of stemmed from that. I became a maths teacher so that I could try make maths enjoyable and relatable.

What do you like about teaching, and teaching at Nayland specifically?

I really like seeing students understand maths. It is so rewarding to see the light bulb moment when everything clicks. It is also fun seeing them grow throughout the years. Nayland College is a very warm and inviting school that really cares about their students. It is a smaller community than my previous school, so I am enjoying the Whanau like environment.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I really love travelling. I have been to 6 different continents. My favorite place to travel is South East Asia. I also play a few sports and like to go bike riding in the weekends.

What is one movie everyone should read?

Hidden Figures is a brilliant movie and I would highly recommend watching it.

What were you like as a student at school?

Good Question!!! I loved PE at school and was involved in a lot of different extra curricular activities. I spent a lot of time training for athletics - more specifically discus and shot-put. I was a wee bit of lazy academically. I did well, but I know I could have done a bit better if I applied myself more and wasn’t so focused on sport.

When I retire, I want to..

Travel to Antarctica – Studying biology has made me really admire Antarctica and it has been a lifelong dream for me to travel there.

Question from Carl, our last interviewee: What is a little-known fact about you?

A little-known fact about me is that I studied Biology as well as Statistics. I have a background in ecology and evolution and worked for DOC for 6 months doing a freshwater fish research.

Give me one question to ask the next teacher we profile…

What is the most interesting thing you have done in your life so far?