Awesome teachers: Matt Finnigan and Kim McCormack

Matt Finnigan and Kim McCormack are a teaching tag team at Pahoia School. Photo/John Borren

Their teachings styles are completely different but, together, Matt Finnigan and Kim McCormack are a complementary team.

The Pahoia School teachers run a joint class of 58 Year 5 and 6 students and principal Marcus Norrish nominated them as a duo for the Bay of Plenty Times Awesome Teachers series.

The Bay of Plenty Times visited their class during a maths lesson.

The students are separated into groups and rotated through a series of activities, some independently and others involving the teachers.

Mr Finnigan's group sits with him on the floor as he draws problems in a maths book the same as the children's and quietly explains what to do.

On the other side of the room, Mrs McCormack's group plays a game of decimals bingo as she describes what to do with funny one-liners using an image projected on to a television using an iPad.

Mr Finnigan fell into teaching when he didn't get into the job originally tried for.

"I got posted at a country school in Taranaki and thought that was pretty cool. I loved it. From there I've tried to do different stuff, I went overseas to Peru and taught different age groups, then came to Pahoia. It's a really cool place to be."

A visual learner himself, Mr Finnigan likes to teach by doing.

"If it's a bit of writing, I'll show them what it looks like. If it's swimming, I'll get in the pool."

Working in a team meant each teacher can work to their own strengths, Mr Finnigan said.

"If one of the kids aren't getting something, they can go aside with one of us while the other teacher carries on. That team aspect is pretty good. Kim is really into art, I'm into sport and writing so we can each work to our strengths a bit more."

Mrs McCormack knew from an early age she wanted to be a teacher. She enjoys working with Year 5 and 6 students because they are still children but are more independent than younger students.

"They need guidelines or they won't know what's expected of them. I have high expectations of all these kids, but you've got to have fun. If you can't motivate kids and get down on their level, you can't connect with them. It's about having a relationship with the kids and connecting with them."

Mrs McCormack describes her teaching style as strictly hands on with a bit of fun. She likes to use technology in the classroom and makes the most of a class set of iPads.

"I'm a big geek."

A collaborative teaching space meant if one teacher wasn't connecting with a student, there was a better chance the other would, Mrs McCormack said.