good young men and I feel – as a good feminist – the opportunity to create good young men is the best thing for women,” she explains. While Nicole never expected to work within an independent school, she was always interested in boys’ education. “I accidentally happened upon a position at College,” she reflects. “I really thought I was coming back to New Zealand – after teaching in Taiwan – to go into the state sector and didn’t really have an intention to teach at College.” “Even as a student teacher, I desperately asked at every placement to go to a boys’ school, but it did not happen. There was always something in boys’ education that interested me. While I did not think I would be interested in an independent school, College – as a boys’ school – gave me an opportunity to see what that was like.” Today, College has proved to be a “high point” in a nearly 20-year teaching career that has also featured the introduction of the unique Christ’s College Diploma. “The thing I have absolutely loved about this College role has been the true ability to do things that I think make a difference to the boys and to be part of a group of professionals who have the boys at heart and have an active role in doing things that can shape us as a school,” she points out. Her early influences on her own career and passion for school curriculum and future leadership were informed at Cashmere High School.
“I was appointed as an English teacher in 2005 and worked closely with the Associate Principal in a professional development role, when the new 2007 New Zealand Curriculum was introduced,” Nicole says of her time at Cashmere. ”That was when I first got my passion for curriculum. I realised my heart was in curriculum and I loved the opportunity – and the potential – in unpicking a curriculum and discovering what you can do with it and what that can do for the students. I realised there was something very powerful in that space.” Following a stint as HOD – English at Mairehau High School, Nicole headed to an international school in Taiwan. “I loved Mairehau. While it was a very different experience to College, the sense of community and the spunk of those students – it was such a cool place to be,” she says. “I then headed to Taiwan to teach English IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education and IB (International Baccalaureate). I was also the professional development coordinator, and school operations coordinator at the Taipei European School, covering all school functions and taking my first step into senior leadership.” On her return to Christchurch in 2016, Nicole found herself in the right place at the right time, with College looking for a fill-in English teacher. She expected it would be a short-term stay as the state sector was still on her horizon.
“However, I arrived at College and realised I really liked the school and the boys were great, and the staff was wonderful. I was then appointed as the ESOL person in learning support and ended up here permanently.” With the establishment of the Centre for Teaching Excellence & Research (CTER) at College in 2018, Nicole was appointed as one of the four Heads of Teaching and Learning under the then Assistant Principal – Curriculum, Joe Eccleton. “I have found those opportunities around how to develop curriculum and teaching and learning have been greater at College because of the time and place of our leadership,” she says. “We have had a leadership group – particularly under Executive Principal Garth Wynne – that has been prepared to consider how to do things a little bit creatively or differently, and not be stuck in tradition. For me, this is where my experience in the independent education sector has been so powerful.” Following an initial curriculum review undertaken by Joe Eccleton in 2016, thoughts turned to potentially replacing NCEA Level 1, with Nicole involved in a CTER strategy day in 2018 where the possibilities of change and continuity were central to the debate. “If we are not beholden to NCEA, what else is important for the school? What is unique about College? What do boys gain from College that they do not find up
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