Category: Archived

All the old posts from years gone by.

  • Troubled Behaviour

    Over the years I have seen many different behaviours, and many different children struggling to cope with the myriad of expectations, rules, and consequences that they are faced with from place to place. Dad has different rules to Mum, and then School is completely different again; especially since it’s the 5th school in 5 years.

    In 2013 I had some insight from RTLB into ‘Restorative Practise’. I went to see Margaret Thorsborne run her workshops, as well as a behavioural workshop for traumatised children. Whilst our school remains sceptical of a complete restorative approach, I maintain most of the practises within my classroom where possible.

    My focus on behaviours comes about because of the students in my class, and I want to be able to better reach them and do something productive with their views on school, rules, and consequences; before it becomes too late. I have had a fair few students who have left before I’ve had the chance to help, and this does plague my mind a bit.

    I also am not a ‘growly’ teacher. I’ve had students say I need to be ‘madder’ at them to sort out their behaviour. But my personal opinion is that being mad doesn’t make anyone better. Certainly not me. I refuse (for the most part) to raise my voice, and instead will go for a quiet word off to the side, than a stand-up-the-front performance. At the end of the day, what I require from the kids is respect. Once there is respect, then there is listening, and there is learning. I would much rather have the students do what I ask because they respect me than because they fear me.

    As part of this, I began looking into what happens when these ‘trauma students’ find themselves in that downward spiral where they get to the point of not caring about the consequences; why it happens, what causes it, and how restorative practise might help in the situation.

    As always, I kinda went overboard and presented this in an infographic of sorts.

    View the full version here

     

  • Male teachers outnumber females at Hamilton school | Stuff.co.nz


    Male teachers outnumber females at Hamilton’s Rhode Street School, bucking the national trend.

    Source: Male teachers outnumber females at Hamilton’s Rhode Street School | Stuff.co.nz

    Those that have been with Unleash Education from the start know that this is an incredibly important topic for us. One of our earliest posts focussed around the number of male teachers in primary education, and quickly followed up by an in-depth investigation into the subject of males teaching males.

    It’s great to see other schools thriving in important male teachers.

  • John Hattie: It is time to be rid of deciles – Education – NZ Herald News

    The decile system was introduced to guide equity funding to schools and in general it has worked very well. But there are two distinct aspects of deciles that need to be looked at separately.Firstly…

    Source: John Hattie: It is time to be rid of deciles – Education – NZ Herald News

     

    Deciles have long been under attack. Schools complain going up and down, parents are misguided as to what they mean, and the whole system is destined for an overhaul.

    However, I tend to agree (surprisingly) with Hattie’s comments regarding it. Let’s not completely throw the baby out with the bathwater.

    “It is time to be rid of deciles, but please find a way to have equity funding without the stigma that students in poorer areas receive a poor education. It needs to be based on a “basket of measures” and not be a single measure.”

    The reality is, that the key focus is around deciles being mis-interpreted as the quality of education at that particular school.

    Surely a little bit of public education would go a long way as to expelling this myth? Maybe then the government might come to realise just how difficult teaching actually is!

  • Big drop in teacher graduates getting a job prompting a return to bonding | Stuff.co.nz

    Just 15% of first-time teachers are landing permanent posts after graduating.

    Source: Big drop in teacher graduates getting a job prompting a return to bonding | Stuff.co.nz

  • Primary School changes uniform due to Health and Safety risks

    On the eve of changes to the Health & Safety Act, schools are in a panic with the liabilities they might face should children in their care be injured in any way. With the changes, school Principal’s can be held personally liable, with some trying to place their homes and assets into trusts to avoid losing them in possible legal battles over the Act.

    One school has worked out the way forward.

    They’ve changed their entire uniform to advance current safety standards throughout the entire school.

    The school has already had climbing trees and bullrush on their banned behaviours list for some years now. But with injuries still happening because kids will be, well you know, kids; drastic times called for drastic measures.

    After the Board meeting in which the new legislation around Health and Safety was discussed, the school decided that changing their uniform was the only option for the school as they move forward into the future.

    The Uniform

    The current uniform sports the typical school grey, with an optional green or black jumper. Black shoes are expected, and socks should be pulled up at all times.

    The new uniform does away with this, and looks to function over form and comfort. The school has sourced the material to make the change as low-impact on struggling families as possible, but say that the new uniform will come in handy at home after school as well. The polymer fabric is designed so that students remain well wrapped up in winter, and with it’s clear outer coat, students can now express their individuality with their clothes visible underneath.

    The uniform is a one-size fits all model, and can be worn by both the boys and the girls at the school. The school community, including it’s Board of Trustees is encouraging all schools to revise their uniforms, and says that their design will not only revolutionise the idea behind uniforms in schools, but also bring down the back-to-school costs for all parents. Any school wishing to use their uniform design should get in touch with the school so that details can be passed on to each interested party. Even the powers that be in the ‘Beehive’ have been encouraged by the idea, and is considering the possibility of making the uniform compulsory for all schools in the near future.

    We have managed to attain an early photo of the uniform as it is now. While it is still in the development phase, the main design of the uniform will remain largely the same. Please see attached photo.

    As you can see, the children are also modeling the optional sun hat, which are important in the summer terms.

    What are your thoughts? Do you like the new look?

     

     

    Actual Article

    A school has stopped its kids climbing trees because of fears it will be slapped with a hefty fine.

    Source: Primary schoolkids banned from climbing trees because of liability fears | Stuff.co.nz

  • Porirua children benefit from lawyers helping with homework | Stuff.co.nz

    Porirua children get homework help from a group of Wellington lawyers.

    Source: Porirua children benefit from lawyers helping with homework | Stuff.co.nz

     

    I actually can’t think of why such initiatives haven’t been encouraged or set up prior to this. Good on the workplaces that do allow its employees to give back to the community in different ways.

  • Decile Bulb Blown

    In relation to…

  • Post-Mortem: UK Public Schooling

    Post Mortem: UK public schooling.

    Family: UK Government – related to: US, NZ.

    Death: Terminated by family.

    Age: 100 years of publicly funded education

    References: http://www.bbc.com/news/education-35814215

    General Body Condition: Diminished frame with minimal experts. Main organs shut down. Donors needed.

    CLINICAL HISTORY:

    The patient had undergone a variety of surgeries recently, and had come under attack from GERM(s) in quite a severe way. The use of GERM had become quite pronounced and at this time, the although the doctors recommended further diagnosis be undertaken from specialists, the family has asked that the life support be switched off and the body be laid to rest.

    POST-MORTEM FINDINGS:

    • Poor academic results according to nationalised testing
    • Poor performing teachers at schools with poor results. (Unconfirmed)
    • Large quantities of GERM infecting the hosts (Department of Education)
    • MGD (Michael Gove Disease) present in host from 2010.
    • Morgan-Nicky Virus spread throughout workforce from 2011.
    • Strong discomfort from Local Authorities.
    • Records show that GERM had affected only 14.5% of the 16,766 Public Schools. It was based on this data that lead family to believe that terminating public schools was a good idea.

    It is with regret that Public Schooling in the UK will be terminated, as of Thursday 17 March, 2016.

  • Education funding review: What will replace school deciles? | Stuff.co.nz

    Mum’s level of education will factor in child’s “risk” assessment.

    Source: Education funding review: What will replace school deciles? | Stuff.co.nz

  • Teacher graduates to be bonded to schools | Stuff.co.nz

    Labour says “on the job” placements should be a bigger focus across all teacher training courses.

    Source: Labour is keen for all teacher graduates to be bonded to schools | Stuff.co.nz

    There is a certain degree of irony as we walked the uni halls going from drab lecture to drab lecture as the guiding lecturers encouraged us in the art of teaching and using different teaching styles, making it interesting, engaging our students, using cooperative groups, and yet maintained a ‘sit down, shut up, and listen’ teaching approach themselves.

    Therefore, when we were unleashed into the real world of classrooms, with 30 sets of eyes all looking at us like we’d fallen in from a different planet, we were all too eager to get stuck in and learn as much as we could.

    I still maintain, that the majority of learning that I did in my four year degree was largely, and even solely, from the practicums that were spread out over my time at teacher’s college. Nothing was more eye-opening, or realistic, than dealing with students, encouraging thinking, facilitating learning, and learning the ins and outs of actual schools, their rules, their expectations, and all that comes with them.

    Bonded to Schools

    I’m not really sure what Labour is hoping to achieve with this. Firstly, most schools are fully staffed. Taking on a student teacher, not only to be training them, but then supplying a job for them later on, is a little too much for schools to commit to, especially for first time teachers.

    Obviously there would need to be a generous amount of sorting this out, and will directly require universities to work a lot closer with the Ministry, and with the placement schools.

    What do you think? Are the current systems good enough? Will ‘bonding’ student teachers to schools lead to an equal opportunity for all applicants to positions?