Our Teachers

Meet the team at The Children’s Corner childcare in Howick, Auckland

Our Kaiako (Teachers)

We recruit and retain the very best early childhood teachers; highly qualified, experienced individuals who feel a strong connection to our centre vision and are committed to providing our children with quality learning.

Our Montessori teachers are facilitators, mentors, coaches and guides. Through careful observation, they get to know a child’s learning style, personality and interests and guide them through the Montessori curriculum accordingly.

Our teachers treat every child as unique and their learning journey specific to them, encouraging in them a love of learning.

Montessori teachers encourage children to ask questions, think independently, explore, investigate and discover.

Diane Cornelius

Qualified Teacher/Centre Owner

Originally from Scotland, I came to Auckland in 2003 with my husband Baz and I am very proud to now call New Zealand home. I have a Bachelors Degree in Politics, Philosophy and Sociology and a Post-graduate Diploma in Personnel Management. I am a fully registered teacher holding a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education and a Montessori Diploma.

I have had the pleasure of being Centre Owner of The Children’s Corner Howick since January 2007 and the best part of my role is getting to know all our preschoolers and their families. I believe every child deserves the very best start in life and together with our talented teachers, this is what we aim to provide your child with…a quality foundation for lifelong learning.

My aspirations for every child include; developing love, respect and compassion for themselves, others and the world around them and to have the skills to be socially and emotionally confident and responsible individuals. As professional leader, I advocate for children to have a holistic and balanced learning experience at The Children’s Corner where they can thrive in all domains of learning.

In my home life, I enjoy nothing more than a quiet day reading my Kindle on the sofa, surrounded by family and our 4 dogs!

Baz Cornelius

Qualified Teacher/Centre Owner

Kia ora my name is Baz and I’m co-owner of The Children’s Corner Howick.

I have had the pleasure of working with children and families since 2007 in both South and East Auckland, babies through to preschoolers, in both play-based and Montessori philosophies and across diverse cultural contexts. It always fills me with joy when I see children realise their potential as capable and competent learners.

Although I originally gained a degree in Chemistry then went on to work in the corporate world as a Finance Manager it is early childhood where I have finally found my passion. I have a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education, a Montessori Diploma and hold full teacher registration.

Together with Diane, we have 4 children and enjoy sharing our lives with our many animal friends including 4 dogs, goats, pigs and alpacas! My particular interests lie in conservation and the outdoors and I’m hoping to inspire and encourage our young learners in these valuable areas too.

Radhika Chawla

Qualified Teacher/Head Teacher

Tēnā koutou katoa ! Ko Radhika Chawla tōku ingoa.

Greetings to you all! I am a fully registered and qualified teacher currently working as a Head Teacher in this beautifully located, close-knit Montessori centre.

I started my teaching career in 2002 in India with a Degree in Commerce and a Diploma in Early Childhood Education, and I worked there for ten years. Since 2017, I have been working at The Children’s Corner. I completed my Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood Education) and hold a Montessori Diploma.

Originally from India, I migrated to New Zealand in 2013 with my husband, Bharat and two adorable children, Pavani and Himank. In my leisure time, I find joy in exploring different cuisines through cooking and travelling to new places with my family.

I believe every child is full of energy, love and a zeal to learn and explore the world. My teaching philosophy is that parents, whānau, teachers, and the broader community significantly influence the child’s holistic development in a child’s life. A child’s emotional, social and spiritual growth is equally essential in his life as his physical, language and cognitive development. Hence, I believe working in partnership with them is pretty vital. Building strong connections and relationships with the parents and whānau helps them build trust and security in their children. I am enjoying my experience and learning journey in this beautiful and warm centre, which is supported by my leaders and colleagues continuously.

Joanna Xiao

Qualified Teacher

Kia ora, my name is Joanna Xiao. I am a fully registered teacher with a Graduate Diploma in ECE teaching. I also have a B. A. degree in High school English Teaching and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education.

My education career started back when I worked for Kumon China. From observing and interacting with young children, I found my passion for working with young children and started my ECE further study in New Zealand. I have been involved in early childhood education with all age groups in New Zealand since 2012.

Originally from South China, I grew up with three other siblings, and I am the oldest one. My husband and I came to New Zealand in 2012, and now we have two lovely daughters Kaia-Belle and Jemma-Belle. We are enjoying life here in New Zealand. In my spare time, most importantly, I love to have quality time with my family. Also, I love reading (especially about ancient history and archaeology), swimming and hiking.

I am passionate about partnership with our whanau to create a meaningful learning journey for our tamariki.

Jo Difuntorum

Qualified Teacher

I am originally from the Philippines. My family and I lived in Brunei, a small country on Borneo Island. This is where my passion for teaching started while raising our four sons. The Montessori philosophy inspired me to study for the Diploma in Children’s Services and Montessori Education from Australia Montessori Society. Then I gained a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education in New Zealand.

I have varied experiences teaching children from 2 to 6 years old in different philosophies like Montessori, Reggio and play based. These experiences exposed me to diverse cultures and varied developmental and learning needs of young children.

As a Montessori teacher, I am committed to supporting children in their early life success and development. Each child’s curiosity and needs are different, and my goal is to treat them with genuine interest and love.

Catherine Dong

Qualified Teacher

Kia ora! 你好(Ni Hao)! My name is Catherine Dong, and I am originally from China.

I am a fully registered Early Childhood Education (ECE) teacher with a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (ECE) and Montessori Diploma, both gained in New Zealand. Additionally, I have a Bachelors degree in Business Management and a Masters degree in Human Resource Management from the UK.

With almost five years of experience in ECE, working with children of different age groups, I firmly believe that every child is unique, and I strive to use various teaching strategies to collaborate effectively with families (whānau) and the wider community to support our tamariki.

I moved to New Zealand alone in 2019, and my family joined me in 2022. My husband, Eddy, and I have a lovely daughter named Freya. I am passionate about travelling and exploring different cultures during my free time.

Linna Wang

Qualified Teacher

Kia ora whānau, My name is Linna Wang, and I am originally from the Northeast of China. I am a provisionally registered early childhood teacher with a Bachelors Degree of Teaching in ECE in New Zealand. I also have a Degree in Business Administration in China. In my leisure time, I like reading, traveling, hiking, and photography. Having lived in New Zealand for five years, I have gained experience working with children of different age groups.

I am excited to be part of The Children’s Corner, where I look forward to supporting the children and celebrating their early successes and developmental milestones.

Wai Shan Siu (Shanny)

Teacher in Traning

Hi there! My name is Shanny and I was born in Hong Kong and grew up in the U.K. My family and I later moved to Auckland where I graduated with a degree, double majoring in International Business and Marketing. I worked mainly in Hong Kong after graduating where I was a financial analyst. In 2021, my husband Patrick and I decided to move back to Auckland with our two young children, Kieran and Kaysie.

I love interacting, playing and learning together with young children and so to pursue this further, l am studying for the Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education. I am a firm believer in that children can reach their full potential and become confident learners in a loving, stimulating and fun environment. I am thrilled to be part of The Children’s Corner family and to embark on this learning journey together with the children and their family/whānau.

We'd love to show you around our preschool centre in Howick

Come and meet the team, talk to our centre manager, say hi to the kids and see first hand why we’re different. We’re more than happy to take you on a guided tour around the centre. You can book in your visit now, just click on the button below and choose a time and day to suit you. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Feedback from our parents

We knew that The Children's Corner was the right pre-school for our son from the moment we walked in for our visit and now our daughter has also joined. No matter if it's the environment or the teachers it made us feel welcome and part of the family. All the teachers are passionate and caring and goes above and beyond for the children, nurturing them, guiding them and stimulating them to reach their full potential. The children are learning the important values of respect, care, politeness, confidence and independence during their time at school, and this will be an important foundation for them as they grow older. We love how all the teachers are constantly communicating with us on the children's progress whether it is their learning or emotional wellbeing. They genuinely care for each child as well as our whole family. Our children look forward to going to school each day and come home each day fulfilled and happy. They often surprise us with what they have learnt at school (knowing the names of the planets to singing days of the week in maori). As parents we are continuing to learn how to raise our children and the teachers at The Children's Corner provide wonderful support to us which I can never thank them enough.

Charlie has been attending the Children’s corner for close to a year now. We chose the Children’s Corner as it is a small preschool with fantastic teachers who have all been there a long time. We love the Montessori approach and Charlie has come so far since he started at the Children’s Corner. I am blown away with everything he has learnt in such a short time and it is wonderful to see his confidence building. Charlie loves coming to preschool which makes drop offs fantastic and we feel 100% happy as we know he is always in such good hands. The teachers are fantastic, always warm and welcoming, we can’t recommend the Children’s Corner enough.

We had never really heard much about Montessori before we visited children's corner but I knew it was the perfect environment for my son the moment we visited. The Montessori philosophy has nurtured his independence and confidence in leaps and bounds. We will forever be grateful to the teachers who have supported Quinn's development. But more than anything we feel like the teachers at TCC are our extended family who care so deeply for all the kids and have created a safe, caring and fun environment. As a parent I feel supported and happy knowing that Quinn is thriving under the Montessori teachings and have also enrolled our youngest to start next year. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the children's corner to any parent wanting to give their child a great start in Montessori