EDITOR
‘Think about that,’ I hear him cautioning his executive. ‘If Education Reform Movement’. we transpose those research findings to our current education He told his national executive that national standards were in policies we can predict a decline in academic achievement not effect a measure for school, teacher and student performance, a gain,’ he reasoned, whilst debating national standards. ‘Have to create a competitive model and open the door to the myth we considered what happens if you invert that argument . . . ?’ of ‘greater parental choice’. This would mean a greater role an example of Ernie, the expansive thinker applying creativity for private providers to run public schools; would provide a to discussion. measure of accountability; set These are the words of a up a platform for performance man who said and did nothing pay; and give control back to rash and who never acted the Centre. The plan was based impulsively. Everything about not on learning and teaching Ernie was thoughtful and but on economics. reflective and he brought every By now the Government’s PR neuron of his considerable machine had sold the public the intelligence to every debating idea that there was a crisis in table. education and convinced them There was no shortage of that ‘standards’ were necessary debate during his reign as NZPF to address the one in five President. The years were 2009 children failing in our schools. and 2010, unequivocally the The best Ernie could do was most turbulent since the 1980s. to instruct his membership Whilst the profession was to resist and slow down the completely thrown off course process as much as possible. by the introduction of national He cautioned principals not standards, it was Ernie who to abandon New Zealand’s pondered carefully and asked world class broad and rich the most revealing questions. curriculum. Many never did, He recognized the flaws as but the focus on national did many others. He studied standards data gradually seeped the research and realized the menacingly into every corner of national standards were never the sector’s functions. going to deliver on the goal Ernie couldn’t win the war of raising the success rates of to keep national standards out, those not currently succeeding. but he did win the hearts and Unlike many others, Ernie minds of his own members who then asked the next question. never did embrace national ‘What is the real purpose of standards nor any other policy introducing national standards associated with them. Schools to New Zealand schools if logic were forced through legislative and research tell us they won’t requirements to report their Ernie acknowledges the critical role his wife Marie has played achieve their stated goals?’ national standards data but throughout his long career In his thoughtful way, he did so without enthusiasm or examined some of the other education policies pouring out of commitment. Most continued to be innovative and responsive the ‘Beehive’ offices and began the process of ‘joining the dots’. to their individual students needs which meant drawing on the Soon he had the bigger picture. The picture mirrored changes broader curriculum. They never adopted the notion that children occurring in the UK and in the USA. National Standards were arrive in their schools as standard units to be regularly measured not ‘home grown’ but cloned from a blueprint for the ‘Global and recorded.
The children wait patiently for their moment to perform
Ernie was elected by his peers to lead the Principals’ Federation sharp analytical mind. I watched as he redesigned the school for more than just his intelligence and thinking skills. He was an enrolment form. It was a work of art which only Ernie could experienced and well-respected principal, an outstanding leader possibly have created and then through his acutely honed IT and a thoroughly great bloke. skills he transferred the information onto a single page form with Ernie led Havelock Primary School in Marlborough for twenty- each section carefully and attractively boxed off. Schools flock to five years where unsurprisingly, he adopted a reflective style of purchase pads of the forms, knowing that they will capture every leadership. He subscribed to the collaborative ‘Te Ariki’ model, detail of information required to comply with every enrolment developed by the late Dr David Stewart. The Te Ariki model regulation. Ernie had done all the thinking for them. encouraged professional conversations and reflective critique to help establish meaning and purpose for what teachers and school leaders do. It was a system of continuous quality improvement of practice and fitted perfectly with Ernie’s aspiration to always be seeking better ways and better opportunities for the children in his school. The school farewell ceremony revealed much about Ernie, his personality, values, motivations, his teaching and leadership skills and above all, how the community and his family regarded him. I spoke to the Acting Principal who was quick to acknowledge that filling Ernie’s boots won’t be easy.’ He is so meticulous,’ he said, ‘everything has its place in Ernie’s school.’ As a colleague who worked with Ernie in the NZPF national office, I can attest Board Chair, Ben Roborgh, had nothing but praise for Ernie’s outstanding contributions to to his careful attention to detail and his the children and community of Havelock School
Sakura Urakawa-Murdoch and Ashelyn Horton-Smith proved an entertaining team, as MCs for the day
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In his own school of Havelock, located in picturesque Marlborough, Ernie is affectionately referred to as ‘Mr B’. A former teacher, Dulcie Dennison, told the audience gathered at his farewell that one of the first things she learned from Ernie was that we never stop learning. Her comments were later echoed by a message read by NZPF executive member Barbara Bowen, on behalf of president, Whetu Cormick. ‘Ernie spent his career constantly on the look-out for more effective ways of teaching and connecting with the young people in his school. His devotion to life-long learning was well-known. On his most recent sabbatical Ernie was researching the Reuven Feurerstein philosophy which states that intelligence is not fixed but modifiable. His search was about finding alternative ways to approach teaching and learning especially for cognitively challenged young people.’ After 42 years, Ernie was still chasing up new and better ways to give every child the best chance he possibly could. He had always believed in inclusiveness and embracing diversity in our mainstream schools. There was no drafting gate at Ernie’s school. But when his colleagues began to report that there was a growing number of young people coming into schools with severely challenging behaviours, Ernie knew there had to be a way to help his colleagues better manage these troubled young people. He began a conversation with the Ministry and other sector groups about how they might respond to this new challenge and out of the discussions came the Positive Behaviour for Learning programme (PB4L). It has proven to be one of the most effective programmes for managing difficult behaviour in schools and continues to grow in popularity. Its annual conference attracts
Ernie’s wife Marie is acknowledged for her outstanding support which allowed Ernie to devote so much time to his school and its community
more than 1,000 teaching professionals each year. would feel culturally safe, accepted and secure; a place where it Ernie was a star collaborator and as Dulcie Dennison explained, was easy to build relationships and connect with the kaupapa. ‘We all worked as a team and we learned to communicate It was a spirited haka involving girls and boys from the school’s frequently and openly with each other. That way if a problem Kapa Haka group. arose we would talk about it straight away and get it sorted.’ Next the lively MCs invited a group of children to the stage to She went on to say that Mr B always put family first and that present ‘Mr B’ with a retirement survival kit. It included a box meant ‘he put our families first too.’ This was clearly an endearing of crayons for drawing so that life never gets boring; a rubber aspect of Ernie’s style and much appreciated by his staff. band to remain flexible; a paper clip to hold everything together; The farewell for Ernie was not however dominated by adults’ a hairnet to . . . well keep your hair on; a packet of ‘seeds of speeches. In true Ernie fashion, it was the children at the centre. knowledge’ like he sewed in us; a bag of cotton balls to cushion MCs for the farewell event were two year eight girls, Sakura his seat when having a think on the front porch; and a painting Urakawa-Murdoch and Ashelyn Horton-Smith. – a tree constructed from the finger prints of every child in the They set the tone of informality by introducing themselves, school with the caption ‘you left your mark on us and now we then settling comfortably onto the stage couch. The farewell adopted the style of a television chat show, complete with entertainment, interesting presenters and above all chatty commentary. Guest of honour, ‘Mr B’ was introduced, à la Graeme Norton style to take his seat on stage, opposite them. They announced the first item, the Wakamarina Haka, a fitting opening to farewell a man who had invested so much in making his school a The Board Chair presented a painting of the Marlborough Sounds to Ernie in recognition of his service to the school place where Māori students
The children present a choral item for their much loved principal
leave our mark for you’. The children’s kit was a heartfelt, humorous and thoughtful expression of the affection, respect and regard with which they hold their much-loved principal. The school’s Board Chair, Ben Roborgh thanked Ernie for the difference he made through boosting the educational and social outcomes for so many children and families over his 25 years of service to Havelock school. He spoke of Ernie’s love of the outdoors, of his passion for cycling and his involvement in coaching and playing basketball. He also thanked him for being a great financial manager, always meeting his operational deadlines and for his outstanding IT and graphic design skills. ‘The school community greatly benefitted from having the most professionally designed newsletters, letter head, notices and communications’, he said. He also acknowledged the way Ernie provided ongoing education for his teachers. ‘Ernie was an avid reader of all the latest in teaching research and shared the findings with his teachers. He had a vast store of knowledge and all of his teachers were advantaged by having him as their leader,’ he said. ‘Most of all,’ he said, addressing the children, ‘Mr B’ loved you guys, the kids of our school.’ He concluded with a special thank you to Ernie’s wife Marie who had selflessly enabled Ernie to have the freedom to devote so much of his life to their school and for supporting Ernie through all its challenges and successes. After enjoying the enthusiastic choral interludes performed by the children he so clearly loves, it was Ernie’s turn to take the microphone. Casting his eye over the young people gathered in
front of him he said ‘each face here today is a whole memory, a whole relationship and that’s the reason we go teaching. Fortytwo years has gone in a flash, he said, because every minute is so rewarding. He thanked everyone for the sentiments expressed saying that teaching is a collective enterprise and a collective challenge, where no one achieves anything alone. He said it was a great privilege to teach and lead a school, where you are crafting people to meet them later in life and how fantastic it had been to be part of that. ‘There are people I knew as children who have grown up and done great things in many different corners of the world, so when you are all grown up, and if you ever see me, wherever you are, say Gidday ‘Mr B’.’ Ernie was driven by his own moral compass. He spent his career constantly on the look-out for more effective ways of teaching and connecting with the young people in his school. Nothing gave him greater pride and satisfaction than seeing his students empowered through their own learning and growing in confidence and self-belief. He brought those same values to his national leadership role, and whether debating political issues or advocating for support for his colleagues, his motivational drive was always to give children the very best learning opportunities so they could all experience success in life. He will be greatly missed by his Marlborough community, his teachers and his children and by his colleagues nationwide. In acknowledging his retirement however none would say, after his long and devoted service, he is not deserving of a well-earned rest.