Birdwood School

Mike Carswell, principal, Birdwood Primary

Mike grew up in Dunedin and was schooled at Hill Street Primary, Tainui Primary, Tahuna Intermediate, and briefly at  Bayfield High School before the family moved to Auckland  and completed his schooling at Lynfield College, "mostly playing rugby."

"From school I worked as a lithographer for 12 months but couldn't imagine doing that for the rest of my life and then Dad put me through a career assessment questionnaire that indicated I was suited to teaching, so in 1986 I enrolled at the Auckland College of Education (ACE). After two years I took a year off - did the typical 12-month UK OE - and then returned to ACE to finish my teaching diploma."

Mike's first school was Blockhouse Bay Intermediate where he spent four and half years. Next he moved to Titirangi Primary and while teaching younger children had one of those defining moments where he committed to being a teacher "and within ten years a principal!

Actually I saw a movie at the same time entitled ‘The Principal' that clinched it for me "

"In 1999 I began five years at St Leonard's Road School as associate principal during the latter stages of which I had seven months teaching at a Church of England school near Croydon in Surrey, before returning to St Leonard's for three months. I then joined Summerland Primary, as associate principal and had three enjoyable years before being appointed principal of Birdwood Primary starting in January this year."

Along the way Mike completed numerous diploma courses including facilitating several IT courses at Learning Network NZ and his Teaching and Learning degree from the Christchurch College of Education.

"Birdwood is a beautifully positioned school and we are doing several things in the next year to continue to beautify it. Additionally we are involved in a Literacy Development Contract and an ICT contract as we move towards enquiry approach teaching - teaching children to think for themselves, to think outside the square and to strategize. We are committed to literacy and numeracy programmes and we have an awesome bi-lingual whanau unit (Te Puawaitanga o te Reo) that recently performed outstandingly at a West Auckland cultural Festival at Corbans Estate."

A Christian father of three (daughters aged 12 and 9 and a son aged 7) whose ethic is be fair, be firm and have fun. Mike loves to play with his kids; especially outdoors and ride his Kawasaki Vulcan 900 in his spare time to blow away the cobwebs.