Throughout the final year of his Bachelor of Arts in Education and Samoan Studies at Te Herenga Waka, Josiah worked as a teaching assistant at St Joseph's Upper Hutt. He applied to work at the school after his mum sent him the job listing and encouraged him to pursue it.
“At that stage I knew I was ultimately going to be a teacher—my family is full of teachers—but I was still trying to find my own purpose and thinking about why I wanted to be a teacher. When my mum sent me that link, I guess I took it as a bit of a sign, and decided to just see what it was like being in the classroom. And I just fell in love with it.”
With two grandparents and several aunties working as teachers, Josiah had always been inspired by the passion he'd seen in his whānau. "Every day I'd hear a new story—my granddad playing soccer on the field or coaching the basketball team. It wasn't just a job for them, it was something they enjoyed doing every day."
Thanks to his positive experience as a teacher’s assistant, and with the encouragement of St Joseph's leadership, Josiah decided to enrol in the Master of Teaching and Learning (Primary) to become a qualified teacher. The team in the University’s School of Education then organised him a placement back at St Joseph’s during his studies.
“I was so grateful to them for that. I love this school—the inclusiveness, and that every student in the classroom feels valued. There’s an understanding that our diverse learners can learn, but they just learn differently.”
Now working fulltime at St Joseph’s teaching a class of Year 2 students, Josiah is passionate about creating a supportive learning environment for all his students—particularly as he had his own struggles throughout his education.
“I want my classroom to be a safe environment where my students can be themselves. I want to welcome them, make them want to come to school and have fun. For me, I dreaded school, I did not want to come to school. I was scared to put up my hand. I was scared to ask for help. And I don't want that for my classroom—I tell them that there's no strings attached to putting up their hand or asking for help. It’s literally my job to help them!”
Having just completed his Master’s, the challenges Josiah experienced in the education system are fresh in his mind.
“Even though my family's full of teachers, I wasn't the best in school. I always got told I was behind, I was behind, I was behind. I was the kid who was told I was going to struggle in intermediate, struggle in college, isn’t going to go to university.
“I felt very fortunate to have such a tight-knit group in my Master’s cohort. It helped because I am quite introverted. But still some days I wouldn’t understand something, and I’d get overwhelmed. I had memories of teachers telling me I couldn’t do anything, that I wasn’t good enough.
“In moments of uncertainty, you can either give up or embrace the challenge. I was fortunate to have lecturers, classmates, family, and my church who helped me embrace my true self, especially when self-doubt arose. They taught me that setbacks are normal, but giving up is not an option. Instead, we must embrace the fear of the unknown and own it. Much like our ancestors, the great navigators of the Pacific, we must be leaders who persevere across vast challenges.
“Keep showing up, ask questions, and things will improve. Ultimately, I just had to remember why I was doing this—because I want to be a teacher that can help students believe in themselves and embrace their full potential.”
Looking forward, Josiah's main goal for the future is to continue to make an impact in the lives of the children he teaches, bringing his cultural perspective as a Pasifika educator to the classroom.
“There’s a Samoan proverb—'O lupe sa vao ese'ese ae fuifui faatasi’, which means ‘we are from different parts of the forest but connected in one cause’. That’s an idea I really want to reinforce in my classroom, that we're all connected. I want to be able to make an impact—and carry on the name of Mr Masoe," he says.
"The kid that doesn't want to come to school, I want to make them laugh, make them smile. Integrate fun into learning and watch them succeed. School is such a beautiful place to not only learn things, but also to make lifelong connections. I think dreams are made in school."