Newly appointed principal at Junior College Snuggles, Megan Hunt, has the kind of positive energy and charisma that rubs off on any person she comes in contact with. Hunt says her love for kids led her to go into pre-school education and she knew from the get go that her passion was in teaching.
“When I got my diploma, I started working at a little nursery school and also au-paired in the afternoon for the family whose kids went to our junior college in Fourways.”
After four years as a teacher in Fourways, her boss at that time suggested she apply for the principal post and, while at just 28 she had her uncertainties, she went for it and never looked back. Seven years later and the purchase of the Junior College Snuggles this year, Megan applied for the principal vacancy.
“I love babies, two- to three-years old are my passion. If you get the early years right, you are not going to have a problem when they are older. The trick is to give them as much stimulation and education as possible while they are still young.”
During her tenure in Fourways, Hunt implemented a financial program that would ensure payments and invoices were done with one swift programme. She piloted a program called Kidsoft, an online-based program that handles everything from expenses to invoices and even an SMS system for parents. The success of the program in just one year led to all the junior college branches jumping on the bandwagon.
Currently, the enthusiastic principal is implementing iPads in the pre-schools, which are set to be rolled out in the future.
She adds, “It’s a bit of a touch-and-go because the pupils are still young but we have one in each school which we are still testing. We have the areas broken up into the classroom and one of the areas includes using the iPad. We want the kids to know the basic usage of an iPad because they are now playing a big role in the primary and high schools.”
With educators as passionate and involved as Megan, parents can rest assured, knowing that their little ones get the best educational and social stimulation with the new curriculum which includes performing arts and Eisteddfod and new health and safety roll outs.
“If I had to find something challenging in this job it would be that it gets very busy. We are implementing so many things and changing things on the grounds. The jungle gym for instance, we are going to get a new one because that is a Junior College standard…but I love my job and I love my school. The people are so passionate about pre-school education, It’s like heaven.”
