Consult/Teach - 6/7

To consult… or to teach… that really is the question. What I’ve come to discover is that the answer is actually 6/7. Same same. (My son will absolutely cringe reading that — but I’m determined to stay up-to-date and relevant in this fast-paced world of education and, in my case, consulting!)

The reality is: consulting and teaching are wonderfully alike, yet brilliantly different. I’ve loved transitioning from teaching in-service to consulting — essentially still teaching, but now with adults who come with a few more years under their belt.

Consulting, to me, is simply “adult teaching.” Same same — 6/7.

Every new contract brings a sense of wonderment. As the great Forrest Gump once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Consulting and teaching share that exact element of surprise and possibility.

They are:

• Challenging and rewarding

• Easy and hard

• Clear and murky

• Full speed ahead and then easing off the pedal

• Insightful and, at times, completely out of sight

• Impacting — and sometimes missing the mark

Yet in all those contradictions, they remain…

Same same.

I have had the privilege of walking alongside some of the most influential educators of our time. Inspiring, innovative, forward-thinking kaiako who I now get to teach — professionals who seek my knowledge, my experience, my guidance in:

✔ pedagogy

✔ practical teaching strategies

✔ policies and procedures

✔ coaching and leadership

✔ and hands-on, real-world application

Same same.

How can that be, you ask?

Because what they learn from me, they will apply to their practice. And through their practice, they will influence tamariki, whānau, and colleagues across Aotearoa.

Teaching passed forward.

Same same.

Teaching in New Zealand remains one of the toughest — and most important — professions to belong to. Yet here we are:

✨ learners

✨ motivators

✨ innovators

✨ influencers

✨ and leaders — wearing a dozen hats before morning tea

And still, day in and day out, we do what we do best:

We teach.

We consult.

We change lives.

6/7.

Same same.

Always.