From tour bus to school bus: graduate's road to teaching

Isaac Hunter, lead singer and guitarist with well-known Northland-based rock-reggae band SOJØURN, has added another string to his bow.

He's just graduated with a Bachelor of Education (Primary) from the University of Auckland’s Tai Tokerau Campus in Whangārei.

And in a full circle moment, he has a job back at his old primary school, Te Ara Kahika (One Tree Point), where he also worked as a learning assistant before starting his degree.

“I’d moved away from home twice to study in different degrees and found myself not enjoying the courses as much as I thought I would,” he says.

“After the second attempt, I had no direction, so I decided it was time to move home to One Tree Point, which is in Bream Bay, about 30 minutes south of Whangārei, and find a job, which I did, at the school.”

This is when Isaac fell in love with working with tamariki and realised he wanted to be a teacher, and that the Bachelor of Education was the way to get there.

He says he found the first year surprisingly easy, but the second and third much tougher.

“For the first semester it was all online as we were just coming out of Covid lockdowns, which meant I was able to study from home, balance my part-time job, and save money on travel.

“Also, the content was easy to digest, and I felt my experience as a teacher aide linked in well with the courses. In the second semester, we had in-person classes for the first time, and I was excited to meet my new lecturers and colleagues, who were all equally excited about getting into teaching.

The second year was a big step up, he says.

“The content quickly got harder with a lot of information, and I would often feel overwhelmed by it. But a positive was that I discovered it was a feeling we all shared, so we were able to support each other, and our class bond grew stronger, which was a great benefit of Tai Tokerau, smaller classes."

But by year three, there were big cost of living challenges.

“Our practicums [time spent teaching in schools] were more frequent, which meant I couldn’t work so had less money, and I sometimes had to choose work over going to class just to afford the gas for the drive to Whangārei and back.”

However, he says the bond he’d built with lecturers and classmates got him through.

“They kept me motivated and accountable, and without them I would have found my third year extremely hard. However, the process was enjoyable overall and the good definitely outweighed the bad.”

On graduation day, a sad absence will be his beloved “dad and best mate” Grayson Hunter, who passed away in 2021.

Isaac is of Niuean descent on his father’s side, and Scottish and Kiwi on his mother’s.

“My dad was a major influence in my life and the reason for one of my biggest passions today, music. SOJØURN, the band I formed with mates from Bream Bay College [which also produced Alien Weaponry], has had the privilege of touring the country in different venues and festivals and building up listeners all around the world on various platforms.

“Dad loved that I followed his passion for music, but I know he would be even prouder that I found another passion in education.”

Isaac says every time he’s felt challenged in his life, he can hear his dad’s voice, motivating him to keep going.

“So, with the physical support of my beautiful mama, Yvonne Hunter, and my best proofreader, my little sister and one of my best friends, Leilani Hunter, my lovely partner Hollie Kereopa, and the ‘spiritual’ support of my dad, I knew I could do it.”

And so far, it’s all going well in his first year as a new teacher.

“I absolutely love it and I'm learning more than I ever have. Even though there were some challenges, my team support me and let me know I’m doing a good job!”

Something Isaac would say to anyone considering a similar path is that relationships matter.

“Build good, strong relationships with your lecturers and your classmates. You’ll lean on them more than you think.”

And finally, he says, “Just go for it and back yourself. Don’t let your self-doubt ruin what could be an amazing experience for you and your future. You don’t know what you're capable of until you get out of your comfort zone and give things a try.”

Isaac Hunter graduated with a Bachelor of Education (Primary) in Whangārei on 26 March, alongside six others from the Faculty of Arts and Education and 22 nursing graduates from the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.