Carol Buchan

Carol Buchan is proof of what can be achieved with a bit of grit and determination.

Wanting to become an early childhood teacher as way of providing a better future for herself and her family, Carol decided to study at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology’s Mokoia Campus in 2015.

Carol says it was a massive commitment but her family pulled together to help and Toi Ohomai provided several flexible options.

She says having dyslexia, she chose to do the course over four years rather than the typical three, which was supported by her tutors and other staff at Toi Ohomai. 

Living in Whakatāne, she had to travel to Rotorua for classes. But to keep costs down, Carol would catch the free bus provided by Toi Ohomai. Even though getting to the bus stop before 7.10am was sometimes a juggle, Carol says her three kids and husband made sure she didn’t have to worry when she was walking out the door.

And she always appreciated not having to pay for gas.

The bus rides would take longer than in a car because they had to stop and pick up other students along the way, and sometimes it would mean she was late for her 9am classes, but she says she was grateful not to have to pay for gas and she always met interesting people along the way.

And, while there were times she wouldn’t get home until after 6pm depending on the number of people who needed to be dropped off along the way, she learned so much being on campus that she would take some of the bad to get the good.

Additionally, there also may have been late nights finishing assignments, missing out on time with her family and friends as well as the postponement of her graduation because Covid-19, but Carol says it was all worth it.

Earlier this year, she started working as an early childhood teacher in a Whakatāne daycare. However, because early childhood education was not considered to be an essential service, Carol and her colleagues were unable to work during Alert Level 4.

“We have a core team of four and we work really closely together. On our busiest days we have up to 18 children, and on average we have around 12 to 15, so we say: ‘we have busy days and then we have really busy days’ but we work really well together and love being in the centre.”

Carol says she also appreciated the support she had received from her boss during the lockdown including the commitment to being paid 80 per cent of her wages, regardless if the Government is going to offer support to cover it or not.

She says it gives her family some peace of mind in a very uncertain situation.