I liked school up until I was eight. Then I slowly stopped liking it. I just didn’t like strangers telling me what to do. I don’t remember anything happening. All I remember is that I didn’t want to be there. I’d still go to make my parents happy but I never did anything.

At home we never had strict rules. We did have rules but there was always ways around them. I think that’s why I don’t like strict cause my mum has never been like that with us. When other people try to I just laugh.

When me and my sister started at intermediate we always wagged together. She’d come and get me and we’d just leave. Just sit in the alleyway, talk and drink if we had that. Back then I didn’t think of the future. I was just living it day-by-day, going with the flow. Our principal actually made a rule that every day we could leave school at 12.45pm because he noticed that we always wagged just before lunch anyway.

I was actually kicked out of high school when I was 16. I found out I was pregnant a couple of weeks later. I didn’t think of doing anything. I just thought about being a stay-at-home mum but heaps of people kept talking about the teen parent unit. I hated everyone talking about school and courses. I was still 16 when she was born, and it was cool as. She was a really good baby. She latched on right away.

The first year at the teen parent unit, I really didn’t like it. I kept going but my attendance was really bad. I only achieved about four credits for the whole year. But then something happened inside me in the Christmas holidays and I went back the next year and received my level one and got the English award. And for some reason I just started loving it there.

When I was little I used to actually dream of working in the travel industry. I always thought of being a flight attendant. But the thought puts me off now. Leaving all the time. I want to work in hotel management or at Air New Zealand. Right now I’m volunteering in the Air NZ lounges to see if it suits my kids’ school hours. I’d like to go on holiday to Santorini. It’s one of the Greek Islands. I heard about it on my course. It’s just so pretty there. It’s got see-through water and I just love beaches.

My daughter just got student of the term. And she’s only been in school for just over four months. She loves it there. She even got the principal’s award as well. When she’s older, I’m going to talk to her about school and stuff and how it will help her. I want her to love school. But if she changes her mind, I won’t be angry. I’m actually glad I’m a mum young, cause I see myself growing as well as they're growing. They teach me stuff and I teach them stuff and it’s like we’re growing together.