Getting out of the classroom for real world experience is a key part of Sara Thorburn's teaching style.
Mrs Thorburn, a teacher at Matahui Road School, was nominated for the Bay of Plenty Times' awesome teacher series by her colleague Julie Hayes.
Standing at the front of the class writing on a blackboard is not Mrs Thorburn's style.
Instead, she spends much of her time taking part in lessons with her seven young students and learning alongside them.
Music class is a perfect example of this. The class starts off with a chorus of "doh re mes" as teacher Chrissy Rosoman plays the keyboard.