Ingrid Ambrosiussen
Bachelor of Teaching (BTchg), Early Childhood Education
Studying early childhood education was an easy choice for Ingrid Ambrosiussen as she had always had a passion for young children.
“After getting a taste for early childhood education when nannying, I knew I needed to make this my career.”
Enrolling at the University of Otago College of Education Southland Campus was another easy choice – she had heard great things about the programme and it meant she was able to continue training and racing her endurance horses while studying.
“My time studying the Bachelor of Teaching was some of the most valuable years of my life. I not only learnt in-depth content knowledge from an experienced lecturing team, I gained a deep understanding of just how valuable my role as a teacher is to the future of each child's life. It really enlightened my views on education and gave me the drive to become a teacher who makes a difference.”
The practicum component was a real highlight for Ingrid. “You get the opportunity to apply all the knowledge you've gained as you go along; it really consolidated my understanding and highlighted the relevance of the material. The placements really gave a taste of what my future career could be.”
“The Southland Campus definitely was unique with its real whanau approach to teaching and support. The learning environment was far more collaborative than I expected, fostering creative and critical thinking among us.”
Towards the end of her degree Ingrid realised that she wanted to continue to study education and was blown away by the support she received. “The teaching team went out of their way to help me find the right postgraduate course and approach to suit my future goals as an early childhood teacher.”
Ingrid plans to start her Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Early Years) after completing her first year of teaching full time.