Ko SS Zuiderkruis te waka
The SS Zuiderkruis is my waka – this is the ship that brought my Māma to Aotearoa, New Zealand. (My Pāpa flew here)
Ko Ruahine nga raranga te maunga e rū nei taku ngakau
The Ruahine ranges are the mountain ranges the speak to my heart
Ko Mangatainoka to awa a mahea nei aku māharahara
The Mangatainoka is the river that alleviates my worries
No Pahiātua ahau
I am from Pahiātua
Ko Johannes toku mātua
My father is Johannes
Ko Hanny toku māma
Hanny is my mother
Ko Herkes toku ingoa whānau
My family name is Herkes
Ko Dylan, ko Bonnie ratou, ko Logan oku tamariki
My children are Dylan, Bonnie and Logan
Ko Honey, ko Juno raua, ko Spencer oku mokopuna
Honey, Juno and Spencer are my grandchildren
Ko Nev toku hoa rangatira
Nev is my wonderful partner
E mihi ana ki nga tohu o nehe, o Te Whitianga O Kupe e noho nei au
I recognise the ancestral and spiritual landmarks of Whitianga, where I now live
Ko Jacki Jensen ahau
My name is Jacki Jensen
Nõ reira, tēnā koutou katoa
Thus my acknowledgement to you all
.
I have been involved in early childhood education for the past 26 years, coming to the profession as a ‘mature’ student. I began study when my youngest child started school after a year of working in a kindergarten as an educational support worker. I studied full time, worked part time and raised my three children as a sole parent. Because I know what this ‘road’ is like, I have an avid interest in supporting and advocating for single parent families and their children. I gained a Dip Teaching ECE and a B.Ed.
My parents immigrated to Aotearoa, New Zealand from The Netherlands and worked very hard to assimilate to kiwi culture and to raise their six children in this new and challenging land. They had no family here until my Oma came out from The Netherlands just before I – the second to last child – was born.
My parents life and struggles have had an impact on me as a teacher and they are at the heart of my passion for ‘New to Aotearoa’ families, especially those who have english as an additional language.
I value and respect Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a living and breathing component of all that is this land, and am on a continuous journey to weave aspects of Te Ao Māori authentically through my work, always learning as I go.
I have taught in kindergartens and early learning settings here in Aotearoa, New Zealand, in Beijing, China and Singapore. In Beijing I was very fortunate to work alongside some amazing Chinese teachers and we were privileged to share our work on Bilingual Co Teaching during an international conference. I was also part of the steering committee for International Accreditation for the school.
In Singapore my dreams came true when my daughter, also ece qualified, joined me to teach in the same international educational setting. Again, we were supported by very passionate and enthusiastic international teachers. Part of my role in Singapore was supporting teachers through professional development to enrich both my own and their practice. Teaching and learning outside of Aotearoa New Zealand opened my eyes to how fortunate we are to have such an holistic, contextual early childhood curriculum that truly does place the child and whānau at the centre, the heart, of all. I discovered that throughout the world, our curriculum is revered as amongst the best. Even the Italians involved in Reggio Emilia say they take inspiration from us!
I have been involved with ELP in two different settings and thoroughly loved every aspect of the work I was fortunate to be a part of and am very excited, and humbled, to be joining the team as a facilitator
I currently work with some passionate kaiako in a very small setting here in Whitianga on the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula and look forward to working with many more equally passionate kaiako as I find my feet in this new role.
