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The Teaching Tree

Hello! I’m Katrina but I’m also known as Tree – hence the teaching tree.

I’m either an education specialist who writes and draws or a full time creative who works in education. Either way, I bring creative solutions and divergent thinking to the studio, home and classroom.

I’m a geek and a thinker. I like to read, think about things, write about things and make things.

I’ve mostly taught English, Visual Arts and Digital Technology in secondary schools and I specialise in magic cross overs. I’ve also been a Learning Designer in a corporate setting and a postgraduate facilitator for The Mind Lab. These days I work around Aotearoa as an MoE accredited facilitator on a mission to make learning more engaging, equitable and fun.

My writing has appeared in Art New Zealand, Everyday magazine, Artist publications, The Natural Parent magazine, Regionalist Poetry collections and more. I’ve also published two educational children’s books: “I think I saw a Pukeko” and “If you were a Kowhai” (a book about computational thinking for kids). My unpublished manuscript “The Lost Button” was the International best manuscript winner in the KBR kids book awards judged by Penguin publishing. I’m yet to illustrate this one and am still procrastinating…

This blog is my writing space for thinking about education and sharing some ideas. I’m always interested in asking how we might do things better.

I live with my man and two children in Taranaki, New Zealand and am happiest when I’m scribbling away in a sketchbook or escaping in green spaces.

You can also find me online at http://www.katrinawardcreative.com

Thank you for reading.

Find me on instagram:

@parentpoet (poetry)

@boringbeautifulprofoundpretty (art, life)

@dollhousewallpaper (miniature textiles)