Editor
We know we are living in unprecedented times, when the In many cases the connections between home and school world’s media channels are completely consumed by one piece became stronger than ever. We were all in this together. As we of news. Coronavirus – COVID-19 has been headline news have seen before, during the Christchurch earthquakes, the Pike for the past three months. And rightly so. River disaster and the Mosque shootings, The globe is experiencing a pandemic of teaching profession always rises to meet What we saw was the the exceptional proportions. World-wide, on a challenge. In a major crisis, school leaders 15 May 2020, the number of cases of the true partnership become the trusted community leaders. They virus is 4.48 million and according to the revert to their default position which is to World Health Organisation’s (WHO) figures, of schools and collaborate, to support and to care. We have 304,000 people have lost their lives. Country it again throughout this pandemic. their communities seen lockdowns and border closures have become In an effort to give every student an equal the global new normal along with economic in action. home learning experience, school chrome collapse. books, iPads, and notebooks were distributed Our experience in Aotearoa New Zealand has charted a similar to families without devices. The Ministry of Education also course to other countries. By March 25, we had recorded 100 assisted in the provision of internet connectivity and devices cases of COVID-19 and our Government directed our people where homes had neither. Whilst this gesture was hugely to hunker down at home for the next five weeks. That of course appreciated by the many families who benefitted, it was never meant the closure of all schools. possible to reach every household in need. A bright ray of sunshine amidst this catastrophic background What the lockdown did was highlight the extent of our society’s has been the way educational professionals have responded. ongoing, long term inequities. It highlighted the level of child All New Zealand students were to do their learning at home. poverty, of overcrowding and the number of families where Stories of schools’ experiences, published in this issue, testify to children are not safe at home on a daily basis. the incredible humanity, care and moral purpose the teaching As we have seen in the wake of other disasters in our country, profession applied to this challenge. nothing stays the same. Christchurch is now rebuilding a new Health and wellbeing were central to every school’s home and very different city. In the wake of Pike River, work and safety learning plan and this consideration was extended to the whole requirements were revisited and a whole new set of regulations to school community. Multiple learning options were prepared at protect workers was established. After the Mosque shootings we lightning speed with unerring support and guidance from the radically changed our gun laws and as a nation we reached out Ministry of Education. to our Muslim communities. We embraced them and as a nation What we saw was the true partnership of schools and their became just a little more inclusive and tolerant of difference. communities in action. We witnessed food in schools shifted to There will be no ‘normal’ to return to after this pandemic. But food in homes – in many cases delivered by teachers and school it gives us an opportunity to do things differently. It gives us the staff in the form of ‘care packs’. We saw multiple communication chance to inject the humanity that has been central to our home channels established to cater for the different home circumstances learning plans, into our regular school curriculum. The kindness, including through websites, emails, texting, zoom meetings and the caring, the generosity, the team-work and the empathy shown for those without electronic connections, phone calls. throughout this extraordinary period of our history can all be There was a heightened awareness that some parents would harnessed to educate future generations to be healthier, more be working from home and some would be out on the front resilient, more humane, contributing citizens. line as essential workers. For some families it would be a stretch to cope with home learning supervision whilst also caring for The pandemic has also shown us the power of collective effort. pre-schoolers or elderly relatives and for many families their It took five million New Zealanders to fight this disease. Five previously reliable weekly income stream had completely dried million people working together for a common cause. It has been up. Thousands became newly unemployed or were on wage impressive. Imagine if those five million people, post-COVID, subsidies. set a country goal to eradicate societal inequity. Principals and teachers took account of all these variables and set expectations to suit each family. Health and wellbeing of the It’s time. whole family remained central.