Victor Mercep with his NZEI Awards 2022 Support Staff Member of the Year award.
Victor Mercep with his NZEI Awards 2022 Support Staff Member of the Year award.
Victor Mercep is passionate about helping pupils at Aorangi School to get in the right mind-space for learning and reaching their potential.
And his passion and hard work have been recognised, with Mercep recently receiving the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Awards 2022 Support Staff Member of the Year award.
Mercep was honoured and said it felt amazing.
He said when he got to the event, an NZEI staff member asked if he had a speech ready - “I was wowed right on the spot”.
Mercep said he wore many hats at Aorangi School, but he was primarily a Nurture Room teacher.
Aorangi School has been running the Nurture Group since 2017, and worked with child and educational psychologist Dr Adrian Minks to help strengthen their programme with a Nurture Room.
Pupils in the group have breakfast in the room, and Matua Victor checks in on how they are feeling and what goals they have for the day.
He said they started off with a karakia and waiata, and that each day he drilled into the students their school value of aroha and what it represented.
The pupils then attend formal learning before returning to the Nurture Room after lunch.
“After lunch we re-regulate and get back into the ‘green brain’ zone if needed. The ‘green brain’ is where all the learning takes place.”
There is a different focus in the afternoons each weekday, including emotional literacy, art and other topics, group activities, trips and cooking days.
Pupils who took part in the group might be new to the school, living in emergency housing, or suffering setbacks for numerous reasons.
Matua Victor Mercep in the Nurture Room at Aorangi Primary School last year. Photo / Andrew Warner
While the pupils attended formal learning, Mercep worked as a learning assistant in the junior block. He was also a kapa haka tutor and did math tutoring.
He said he had six children of his own and liked to share positivity and wellbeing learning with the kids.
“Some come from tough situations. I want to be the best me and share that with the children. All I want to do is get them excited and create a passion in them for learning.”
He said our children were the future, and he wanted to play a role in creating awesome future citizens.
Mercep said this year he had a lot of personal development training around trauma and what that looked like, continuing to put more understanding behind the ‘whys’ in behaviour.
“What I would like next year for myself is to expand and further my knowledge in this area.”
He said a special thanks to child psychiatrists Adrian Minks and Rob Winthrop for their help and expertise.
Aorangi School principal Kairo McLean said Mercep had been part of the staff at Aorangi for eight years.
“He really worked hard over those eight years, and connects so well with any kids having problems in their mainstream class. They always feel comfortable and love being around him.
“I’m very happy for him, and his family, to have received that award.”
He said it was great for their school community to have a great educator like Mercep.
This is a Public Interest Journalism funded role through NZ On Air
