Ongaonga School deputy principal Karen Barkle is one of six educators in the country to be awarded a national accolade. Photo / Warren Buckland
Making a difference in the lives of the next generation is the true mark of a great teacher.
It is this sentiment which is not lost on Ongaonga School deputy principal, Karen Barkle.
Affectionately known as Mrs Sparkle - she lives up to her name in more ways than one, having left a lasting impact on the more than 400 students she has taught from Year 1 through to Year 8.
Her infectious laugh bellows through the school grounds and she is loved by all who cross her path.
They are not just her students, they are her "kids".
Yesterday, she was one of six outstanding New Zealand educators to receive an ASG National Excellence in Teaching Awards (ASG NEiTA) at an official ceremony hosted by Education Minister Chris Hipkins in Wellington.
Selected from about 200 community nominations nationwide, the recipients were honoured for their inspiring and innovative contribution to teaching.
Mrs Barkle was one of 18New Zealand teachers to pick up a regional ASG National Excellence in Teaching Award late last year.
Mrs Barkle, who also currently teaches Years 5 and 6 students at the school, said she did not expect to be nominated let alone get to the end and was humbled by the achievement.
"When I was nominated that was just enough. Just to think that someone had actually gone to that point of actually nominating me was really cool. So winning the regional award was probably as far as I ever expected to get - even that was a shock but this ...
"You sort of expect that there are other people out there that deserve it more," she said.
She found out two weeks ago - her staff meeting came to a standstill and everyone erupted into applause, and her principal Aaron West was "shouting from the rafters".
"My family were pretty excited because they have supported me right through my career and because I was a late starter with my teaching they have gone through a bit too to get to where I am today so it has been cool for them as well," she added.
She can't go down a street or walk into a shop without being stopped by one of her past pupils and although her "kids" may have left she still follows their journey through life.
The cohort of children from one of her early years at Ongaonga School are heading off to university this year.
"It is really school but quite scary actually because it makes you feel old."
Eighteen-year-old Elysha-Rose Grant fondly remembers her time in Mrs Barkle's Year 7 and 8 class during her last year of primary school six years ago.
The former head girl at Central Hawke's Bay College was not surprised to hear of her past teacher's accolade.
"I always remember her being very supportive and she always had new and exciting ideas in the classroom."
She remembers the "warm fuzzies" which Mrs Barkle introduced - getting everyone to write nice things about one another.
"She was a really positive influence on us. There was lots of laughter and it was heaps of fun. She was very approachable."
When asked what she loves about teaching, the talented teacher had to stop and think.
"Probably the enjoyment the kids get out of learning new things and seeing them engaged in learning."
At the end of each year, she writes a poem and reads it out to her children on the last day of the school year and cries. "It is like losing your own kids because they become part of your family."
She is involved in all aspects at Ongaonga School.
She came to teaching after many years in the corporate environment and discovered she enjoyed connecting and building relationships with children.
Originally from Wellington, Mrs Barkle comes from a dance background and started studying when her now-adult children were young and attending Taradale Primary.
During her 17 years of teaching, she has worked at two schools, Taradale Primary and Ongaonga, and undertaken two certificates in te reo Maori.
She also has a leadership role in IT and has been instrumental in upskilling staff and students to ensure they keep up with digital technologies.
Teaching is in the family for Mrs Barkle, whose father was a teacher and a 25-year-old son currently teaches in Wellington.
The deserving teacher said she never wanted to stop learning and wanted to go on a sabbatical in the future.
"I am very passionate about learning and want to show the children that you never stop learning."
For the Beamish family, all four children have been taught by "Mrs Sparkle". Their youngest, Rose, is currently in her class.
Now in Year 12 at Napier Boys' High School, Finn Beamish recalls how she made "learning fun" and was really creative.
Similarly, Year 10 student Nat Beamish couldn't speak of her more highly.
Mrs Barkle will take up further study next year in digital technology, using her $5000 ASG NEiTA grant.
"Digital technology is an area being developed in the NZ Curriculum, and I would like to be at the forefront of implementation. Digital fluency, computational thinking and the ability to integrate digital technology across the curriculum is the future of learning. I would like to be on the journey helping my students along the way."
"For me it is keeping up with their learning. If I don't make that effort to learn and be a life-long learner how can I expect them to be the same."
Principal Aaron West said it was a fantastic recognition for her given "the time, the energy, the resources that she puts into her teaching."
"The kids she has in her classroom each year hugely benefit from that energy she puts in. She goes beyond the call of duty," he said. "She is always there to support the students and fellow teachers and parents and so it is absolutely well-deserved award for her to receive."
"Mrs Sparkle" doesn't plan on leaving any time soon. "I love being in the classroom and having the kids around me. It is where I want to be."