Editor
It always amazes me how much positivity goes on in schools staff member subscribes to this vision, this moral imperative, despite the relentless mountain of education policies, sometimes and does not waver from it. of no relevance to children’s learning, that keep landing on them, The youngsters at Iain’s school are empowered to set their demanding their energy and attention. own behaviour standards – there If we were talking about the corporate We saw a perfect are no teacher imposed rules at domain, CEOs would be right there at Manurewa Intermediate – and to the table with the politicians, having example played out in this be the agents of their own learning. been called in to offer their advice. year’s Prime Minister’s At the same time they learn to be Not so school teachers and principals. contributing citizens and engage in Teachers are different. They don’t Supreme School Award community service. It’s a recipe that see teaching as a job. They are not reaps excellent results at all levels. motivated by monetary bonuses to fill Competition. Manurewa Intermediate sits at the their back pockets, as corporate bosses might be. A school is top of the pile, and deservedly so. That said there are hundreds not a regular workplace. You have to love children and young of schools in New Zealand oozing positivity with thousands of people to devote yourself to teaching and it is that love of the youngsters thoroughly engaged and loving every day at school. young people, whose educational and life chances are in your The article in this issue p.10 tells the story of Hokowhitu Primary hands, that drives a teacher’s career. School in Palmerston North. It’s a long way from Manurewa and We saw a perfect example played out in this year’s Prime unlike its counterpart, sits in an advantaged area of the Manawatu Minister’s Supreme School Award Competition. Manurewa city. The school has embraced a new pedagogy for its curriculum Intermediate School, under the leadership of Iain Taylor, took delivery through which, as at Manurewa Intermediate, the the first class honours. His school is a decile 1A and 900 young students control and manage their own learning. The students teens, mostly of Māori and Pacific Island descent, pour through there are also having fun learning and discovering through a mix its gates every day. ‘If you don’t love our kids, you won’t be a of collaboration and individual endeavour, with their teachers fit for our school,’ I’ve heard Iain boom out on more than one taking the role of guiding, facilitating, monitoring and evaluating occasion. For him, that is the starting and the end point. In other the students’ learning. They too place high importance on the words, don’t even apply for a position in my school if you don’t wellbeing and safety of all their students. It’s not exceptional. There love these kids. are so many more schools engaging and caring for their youngsters In his acceptance speech he paid tribute to his staff, learning, health and wellbeing every day in our country. acknowledging that they are the ones who make the school a So why is it that these true professionals, who have so much great place for kids to be educated. His accolades did not stop knowledge and experience of how children learn best, and how at his dedicated and talented management team and teachers, best to respond to their personal circumstances, not given a but extended to the outstanding work of his full time school say in education system policy development? By the time the counsellor and support staff. ‘Every single one of my staff is to profession is ever asked for an opinion, the policies are already be congratulated, he said, because they are the ones that make at implementation stage. a difference to these kids’ lives every day.’ Politicians are not professional teachers. How much better off ‘I say to my staff, every one of these kids is to be treated as if would all of New Zealand’s young people be if only our politicians they were one of your own kids because they deserve nothing would accept that fact and bring the professionals in to help? less. And every one of my staff does exactly that.’ How much greater would our country’s future fortunes be if we That is a statement that extends well beyond teaching reading, could establish educational policies that allowed the talents of writing, maths and science. It means that Iain’s staff members are every one of the youngsters in our schools to develop and shine? also to take care of the social and emotional wellbeing of every The profession does know how to do this. one of his students. It means hauora (wellbeing) is right up there It is time for us to make a decision about what stripe of on the priority list as teachers build the often broken self-esteem government we will have for the next three years. Let’s hope that and confidence of the young people in front of them every day. whatever party leads the country through the next three years Another of Iain Taylor’s mantras is ‘Every one of our students will have the intelligence and good sense to let the teaching will have fun at school every day!’ What makes Manurewa profession shape the next iteration of education policy, for the Intermediate the great school that it officially is, is that every good of all of us.