Teaching Team

I have been teaching at OMP since 2016, before this I was Head Teacher at a Montessori Preschool in Sri Lanka. I am married to Channa and have two lovely twin daughters Cheyenne & Skyvie. I am a highly motivated and dedicated teacher who is committed to the Montessori teaching philosophy because it encourages children to grow up as independent personalities with their own unique potential. As a Montessori educator, it is my aim to provide a carefully planned, stimulating environment which will help the child develop an excellent foundation for lifelong creative learning while maintaining a positive, collaborative parent/teacher relationship which helps to make learning more meaningful for each child.

Hi! I’m Lena. I’m super excited to be part of the kaiako team here in the Tui class at OMP. I graduated from the University of Auckland in 1999 with the Bachelor of Laws/Arts. After that, I went on to do a Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language (ESOL) and subsequently I taught ESOL for about 5 years. In 2001, my husband and I got married and since then we’ve had 3 beautiful children, Zach, Mikayla and Caleb who will be turning 16,14 and 13 respectively this year. My 3 children started their very happy learning journeys here at OMP many years ago and Pauline was their teacher; hence the special connection with this place. In 2016, I graduated from the University of Auckland with the Graduate Diploma in Teaching and since then I have been passionate about teaching, particularly with the preschoolers. I have completed my AMI 3-6 Orientation Certificate Course and I am very excited to start my Montessori journey. I believe that the Montessori approach provides the best learning environment for children. As a Montessori educator, I aim to empower children to be independent and to follow their innate desire to learn and grow to be confident and respectful individuals. In order to achieve this, I will make sure the environment is one that is calm, safe and stimulating while maintaining a positive parent/teacher relationship.

I initially began teaching at OMP as a student teacher in 2015. I continued to work here during 2016 as a reliever teacher while completing my studies, teaching in both of Fantail and Tui classroom. In December 2016, I finished my teaching degree and began to work full-time in the Tui class. I aim to encourage children to be independent, peaceful and diligent with my knowledge of Montessori philosophy. I will also support children’s need for creative activities through different types of arts and craft activities. As a member of Montessori teaching team, I will maintain an environment of consistent learning and communications with parents and teachers. In my spare time I play ukulele and guitar; this helps children during mat-time for musical instrument fun. During my 15 years of living in New Zealand, I have become fluent in English, I am also fluent in Korean which is my mother language