Tanya is a New Zealand educator and literacy specialist with nearly two decades of teaching across multiple subject areas, including English, Classical Studies, History, and Drama. She has 11 years of experience working in a health school context, supporting students with complex health needs, and has held leadership roles in literacy, English, and social sciences.

Tanya has experience facilitating professional learning workshops in New Zealand that focus on building teachers' and students' writing self-efficacy and supporting teachers in adopting appreciative, strengths-based approaches. She has also presented the findings of her research, titled ‘Responding to the writing of children in a Health School: Developing an appreciative approach’, at national and international conferences, including the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

Tanya is passionate about improving the writing experiences of learners, particularly those who have been historically marginalised, identified as at risk, or are struggling. She explores how educators can move beyond deficit perspectives by critically engaging with culturally responsive practices and opening up dialogic, collaborative approaches to writing.