Beverly Kaye – (1969 - 2017)
When Beverly joined ELP, she had already made an enormous contribution to early childhood education in New Zealand. Her quiet, gentle and very humble way of being was a powerful inspiration to us all.
Many of us have memories of the ways in which she inspired others, particularly around the use of ICT. She was an early and passionate adopter of the use of computers and IT technology and helped make this both visible and full of possibilities for many ECE educators.
She brought her passion and her commitment to ELP and shared her experiences with the qualities of kindness, gentleness, caring, a sense of humour, grit and determination, love and that generosity of spirit which so characterised her. On many levels, Beverly exemplified the principles of Te Whariki, New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum.
Empowerment - Whakamana She saw the strengths in everyone and nurtured and supported those around her. Beverly always looked after the rights of others: she was a powerful advocate for injustice and was never frightened to speak out. At the same time, we constantly witnessed her humbleness: Beverly found no need to acknowledge her own strengths.
Reciprocal relationships - Ngā Hononga Her capacity to build relationships was so wonderful. It was her authentic self that everyone could see. Her deep interest in others complemented her willingness to listen to and understand others and to respond to them in wise and thoughtful ways. Her gentle caring way of working alongside others enabled her to build many very special relationships.
Family and Community - Whānau Tangata We loved having Beverly as a member of our ELP team. We totally loved her spirit and her capacity to drive the positive energy through some quite difficult times. Beverly never lost hope and was always positive, so much so that we always felt that one day she would be in a position to return to her work at ELP. Sadly, this was not to be. We were all so aware of how connected she was to her family and especially to Fiona.
Holistic - Kotahitanga Beverly’s sense of fun and playfulness was exemplified in her ability to dress up, to play games and to see all the possibilities for fun. But she also kept things in balance in order to value holistic views of learning. Yes, she had a passion for ICT but she also had a very deep awareness and joy of nature, never loosing her connection with the land.
Many of us have such wonderful memories of Beverly to sustain us as we come to terms with her passing. Beverly touched so many of our lives. Her bravery in the face of adversity was an inspiration and her capacity to always find the best in every situation was staggering!
We are all thinking of you Fiona, and also the wider whānau. To Beverly's parents, Anne and Stuart and her sisters Annette and Rachael, we send our heartfelt thoughts and love to all of you during this very sad time. Thank you so much for the opportunity to contribute to this Celebration of Beverly's life.
We are all thinking of you Fiona, and also the wider whānau. To Beverly's parents, Anne and Stuart and her sisters Annette and Rachael, we send our heartfelt thoughts and love to all of you during this very sad time. Thank you so much for the opportunity to contribute to this Celebration of Beverly's life.
As we say in ELP, ‘once a member of the ELP team, always in our hearts’ and 'you never really leave ELP'. Beverly will be with us forever.
Arohanui Wendy
9 comments:
We received a beautiful letter from Desmon Tipene, Senior Advisor from the Ministry of Education in the Tai Tokerau ECE region. "Kia ora Wendy, I for one will mourn Beverly’s passing, her presence and kind nature will be sorely missed around the Tai Tokerau ECE region.
She always had a few gold nuggets of wisdom to share, an infectious smile of hope, and an uncanny way of stoking up a good conversation about things we could be doing better to improve education for young children.
Our thoughts go out to her personal whānau and to you her ELP whānau as well.
The void she leaves behind can never be reclaimed, but the happy memories of her will never be forgotten.
Safe travels to you as well Wendy, take with you our kindest regards.
Ngā manaakitanga o te waahi ngaro
Des
Desmon Tipene | Senior Advisor | Early Childhood Education
DDI +64 9 436 8944 | Ext 98944 | Mobile +64 27 280 7514
Raewyn Ings from Hillcrest Kindergarten in Kaikohe has sent these lovely comments.... "I would just like to send my best thoughts and wishes to you all as I have heard about the passing of Beverly Kaye. She was the facilitator for our area so we got to know her well, plus she was a Head Teacher for NKA before that so she is part of our professional family. I remember her as an advocate, freedom fighter and professional and these are all the attributes I feel are required for an EC advocate. Her wonderful sense of fun and mischievous ways of living life will always be remembered. We/I will miss her greatly. She was a friend who was there 100% always wanting the best for tamariki and supporting teachers to reach their learning goals. Raewyn Ings HT Hillcrest Kindergarten Kaikohe. xxxxx"
Wendy, thank you so much for your wonderful tribute. I knew Beverly as my dear, little sister but it has been humbling for me to hear about her work life and the respect she gained from other Early Childhood Learning professionals. She was an incredible person and someone I will always be grateful to have known and extremely proud to call my sister. I am so thankful that she lived as long as she did to enable her to make the contribution she made. She has definitely left a legacy behind.
From Anne and Stuart - thank you thank you. Beverly leaaves a huge hole in our lives but your support will help us bridge the gap.
I first met and enjoyed getting to know Bev as she joined the ELP team. I soon learnt of and valued her kind and thoughtful ways, her love of fun and the outdoors, her courage and humbleness and her strong advocacy for social justice and the rights of children. I think fondly of our discussions - especially those at the cottage while on retreat and will miss these lovely times with her. Much love to Fiona and her whānau at this sad time. Arohanui Marianne MacPherson
How amazing it has been to have Beverly as a friend and colleague. Beverly embraced life always. Even when health was not playing the game she wanted she was still planning amazing feats. Just last week we talked about doing some crazy jumping into a plane stunt. The challenge was who would be the next Gillian Fitzgerald and do something crazy with me like jumping into a moving plane. Beverly’s first reaction was, “Clearly only for the insane.” Next thing she is saying, “I would.” What an amazing sense of fun Beverly had.
As a colleague, Beverly saw the strength in each of us and often forgot about the strength in herself - which there was plenty of. She was always humble about her work. When she spoke it is was with wise and measured words. Beverly was an incredible advocate for the rights of not just children but everyone. He toa taumata rau, bravery has many resting place. Bravery rested very well on Beverly.
I first met Beverly at a ULearn Conference around 2006 and was inspired by the way her kindergarten had explored Blogs as a way of sharing their community’s learning experiences. This was right at the beginning of finding ways for ICT to enhance children’s learning in meaningful ways. I followed Mania Kindergarten’s blogs and watched with interest as children’s ideas, adventures and plans were explored. Then, some time later, at her interview for ELP, I remember her reaction to letting her know we very much wanted her to work with us. She was completely surprised! Beverly could always see strength in others, and yet her reflectiveness, wanting so much to make a difference in children’s and teachers’ lives, meant that she didn’t also see her own strengths so easily. We were looking for a colleague who possessed the energy, the spirit and the passion to support teachers to enable children to play in energetic, spirited and passionate ways, with and alongside children and adults, who immerse themselves in imaginative, creative environments where ‘what is fair, for each and everyone’ is important. And yet I can’t imagine anyone who exemplified this more. Beverley’s fun loving, spirited engagement within our early childhood environment was joyous, thoughtful, socially engaging and above all, championing of what is socially just. I never heard her complain. I never heard her say anything unkind. I always heard her talk with flair and passion about social issues that affected children’s lives. A very strong advocate for children and teachers has been lost to our community and for this I will ever be saddened. Yet Beverly was always upbeat. She loved to dress up, to have fun, to look to the future and to tease with kindness. That alone is a morally difficult thing to do! So into this future, without Beverly, we have a legacy that is worth remembering. Always attempt to make a difference with kindness to the fore, with love in our hearts for the simple, connected things of life which are always around relationships, the earth, sea, sky and beyond. ‘What will you do with your one and precious life’ (excerpt from a Mary Oliver poem) and I think Beverly epitomised this, not wasting a moment of her one wild and very precious life. Fly, with love, Lorraine
A message from Brenda Soutar
Kia ora Wendy
I do remember Beverly! She was at a kindergarten at Whangarei Heads or somewhere those days? She gave a keynote at one of your TRCC or ELP conferences, I can't quite remember. It was some years back in Auckland. I remember Beverly used a blog to document learning for parents and a digital microscope to watch a praying mantis or some other insect over weeks. The children contributed regularly to the blog as did teachers and parents. I still remember it clearly as one of the most inspiring, engaging presentations I have attended. Then when Beverly went to ELP, I told her that I still remembered that amazing talk. She was so committed to giving children the very best of the learning experience. How blessed the ELP team was to have her contribute to the inspiring work you do.
Moe mai ra Beverly i te rangimarie.
Merry Xmas Wendy and the ELP team xo
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