Science teacher country’s ‘most inspiring’
Sam Howard commissioned a topsecret school-wide campaign to ensure his favourite teacher was crowned New Zealand’s most inspiring.
The 12-year-old Medbury Preparatory School pupil secretly nominated his science teacher, Micah Hocquard, for Warehouse Stationery’s New Zealand’s Most Inspiring Teacher award.
Hocquard beat thousands of other nominated teachers to claim the primary school category. More than 2800 teachers were nominated across the categories and about 11,000 votes were registered in the six-week voting period.
Sam decided to nominate Hocquard after finding the competition online, and believed no one was more deserving.
‘‘He turns learning into a more fun way of doing things, more than most other teachers do,’’ Sam said.
On his campaign trail, Sam visited all the classes taught by Hocquard to plead with pupils to spread the word and get online and vote for him, a gesture Hocquard has been humbled by.
‘‘I found out I was nominated by email . . . I was like, ‘Well that’s nice’, but I didn’t think too much more about it,’’ Hocquard said.
‘‘The first day of the term was when the headmaster came in and told me that I’d won. I said, ‘No, you’re pulling my leg’.’’
Hocquard has worked at the school since 2009. He first gained a science degree from Otago University and went on to graduate from Christchurch Teachers’ College in 2003.
He believed he was successful in teaching because of his passion for the job.
Hocquard will receive a $5000 prize pack of furniture, stationery and technology.