Tom began teaching in 2011 and has taught a variety of year levels at schools in Wellington, Auckland and overseas. He is passionate about equitable and inclusive education, and believes that school needs to empower students to understand themselves and their place in the world, so that they can change it for the better. Tom holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching, a Graduate Diploma in TESSOL and a Master of Education specialising in student voice and language and literacy acquisition. He is currently working part-time so that he can focus on a PhD in Education at the University of Auckland, where he is researching assessment in primary classrooms.