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  • Education policy won’t tackle the big issues | Stuff.co.nz

    The National Party is showing it is completely out of touch with schools by offering up an education policy that misses the chance to fix crucial issues in the sector, say principals and teachers.

    The plan is part of the four-pronged $380 million education plan revealed by leader Bill English and education spokesperson Nikki Kaye yesterday.

    But Principals’ Federation president Whetu Cormick was less than impressed.

    He said the sector just had a new digital curriculum dumped on their laps in June.

    “At the moment we’ve got about 4000 teachers who are ready, out of 100,000 of us, to do this curriculum.

    “Now we’ve got another idea of languages, pouring in precious millions of dollars into this idea that’s come completely out of left field, just reflects that our Prime Minister’s out of touch.

    “There aren’t enough teachers around to teach our rich curriculum and the basics of reading, writing and maths.”

    His biggest gripe was that the money was not going to be spent where it was desperately needed.

    “We’ve got big, big issues with severe behaviours. Children who are affected by methamphetamine parents, their addictions. They’re causing some concerns in our schools. We’re hearing from our colleagues, principals across the country … they’re at breaking point.”

    Read full article from Jacob McSweeny here: RadioNZ

  • The Gap is Closing

    In response to:

    Hekia Parata: Improved Maori education shows gap is closing

    Key Points

    • Data used by Hekia Parata is from 2008 to 2014. Why didn’t she use 2015 Data which would have been more current?
    • Up to 2014, before schools got found out, there were schools who were screening students and would only have those that would succeed be represented in their data; or even sit NCEA Level 2.
    • Hekia makes mention of the increased “…information about the performance of their children and their schools and they are using that information to engage in informed discussion with teachers and schools”, which is a clear promotion of the changes the Government made to reporting schedules with the introduction of National Standards. Students who passed through NCEA Level 2 in 2014 would have had very limited, if any, input from anything related to the National Standards, as they will have been Year 8 or Year 9 when the standards were introduced.
    • “However, while there has been dramatic progress in recent years we are not satisfied” – and never will be until 100% of students are passing every form of qualification. This will of course immediately count for nothing, as it essentially makes those qualifications worthless if everyone has them.

  • Teachers with Mental illness investigated


    Firstly; I’m a teacher.
    Secondly; I suffer from depression.
    Thirdly; I’m a teacher with depression.

    Yes; every part of my life is affected by my mental illness. That does not stop me from being a good teacher, nor does it make me an incompetent teacher – just as a broken arm wouldn’t stop me from being a good teacher, or an incompetent writer/journalist.

    I don’t even know where to begin with yesterday’s article “Nearly 100 mentally-ill teachers investigated by the Education Council in the past six years“. Aside from having the longest headline in history there was stunned silence from my normal full of thoughts head. Shocked. Appalled. There are just so many false correlations and connections being made that simply fly in the face of all that is good and healthy for de-stigmatizing mental illness.

    Teacher Incompetence

    There is a complete and utter misconception here that mental illness correlates to teacher incompetence. It doesn’t.

    Obviously there are choices people make; especially around drugs and alcohol, that have no place in the classroom. But this is teacher incompetence, and would be (hopefully) dealt with regardless of whether that teacher had mental health issues or not.

    Taking your issues out on children in the classroom is teacher incompetence, not a mental illness.

    Not all teachers with mental illnesses display any signs of incompetence. Not all incompetent teachers have mental illnesses.
    The two are individually occurring instances.

    Yes; there have been times where I have doubted my ability to teach with my depression. I have raised it with my Principal on more than one occasion. But that’s my depression speaking through my lack of self esteem. My Principal and colleagues assure me otherwise.

    Stigma around Mental Illness Alive and Well

    In a time where stigma around mental illness needs to be addressed, this type of article does nothing to help or even show some sense of understanding at all. It’s disappointing to have to stand up and speak out on two of my passions under attack; mental health awareness and teaching

    The only piece of common sense in this article comes from a Masterton principal when he says:

    School boards employed people “fit for the job in every sense”, and people with mental health problems could still be good teachers with the right support.

    Mental

    Furthermore, I can’t believe that someone would be so naive as to include aspergers and ADHD as ‘mental illnesses’. They are not. They are syndromes; disorders. They are not ’caused’ by anything but instead are pervasive developmental disorders. With illnesses, such as depression, there is always the sense that you can get better. From my understanding there’s no getting better from aspergers, autism, or ADHD. Sure; you learn to cope, with experience, medication, and other means, but it is always there.

    Raising awareness and understanding

    I’m not sure what experience Caleb Harris (the writer of the article) with mental health, and I don’t like to presume anything, but the way in which this article is written is incredibly insensitive to those who currently suffer from mental illness, as well as those who are great teachers.

    A message I received from a friend summed it up for me.

    “To anyone suffering with Mental Illness; You are one badass mother f***** because nothing is more terrifying than battling with your own mind every single day.”

    We keep on keeping on. Every day we already deal with our own thoughts, the last thing we need is more stigma attached by articles like this one, which make broad sweeping statements about the mental health of the profession

    Sweeping Statements

    Those that have been investigated, have been investigated because their mental health has affected their ability to act rationally and suitably for a teacher. Their mental illness has taken its toll, and for some, it has been deemed necessary to terminate their ability to teach in a school.

    Let us not also forget that the statistics expressed in the article are of the express minority. 100 teachers over six years, works out as 16 per year. 16 out of the 100,000 registered teachers is a very small percentage. 0.016% in fact.

    To imply then that teachers with mental illness are a liability and should be investigated is antagonising to say the least, especially considering that, according to the Mental Health Foundation, as many as one in five New Zealanders have, or will experience, mental health issues each year.

    Teacher’s are people too, and so if we apply this ratio to our 100,000 teachers, that is approximately 25,000 teachers. Of those 25,000 teachers, only 16 per year have been investigated.

    When you look at that statistic, it amplifies the problem with this article. Instead of seeing the positive, Mr. Harris has gone about to vilify teachers suffering from mental health issues. Many have mentioned that it is a lot easier to de-professionalise teaching if the current workforce is seen as ‘unfit’ for the job. Even members of the public took to the comments section to try and tell teachers that there is stress in every job and to get over it (which is completely unrelated – besides; stress is not a mental illness, it is a factor that leads to mental illness).

    Higher praise

    Instead, the article should have focused on the 24,984 teachers who, though suffering with the demons inside their heads and battling them within themselves daily, still manage to hold down their job, working day in and day out, turning in long hours (especially during report writing season), being role models and mentors for the children in their class and their school, and have survived another year. Least of all it should congratulate the whole teaching profession for doing what very few can do; teach the next generation, be patient for the ones who struggle, be understanding to those that think differently. Day in and day out you have all worked hard for your student’s, to see them be the best that they can be, even when they’re at their worst, and you’ve seen them do better. You’ve laughed when they’ve laughed, and hit your head against a brick wall when you’ve had to tell them to put their hand up for the thousandth time, and yet for every single child you can see the potential, and tell them that they can be whatever they want to be, and encourage each of them to pursue their dreams no matter the cost.

    Even if that dream is to be a Masterton based journalist.

     

    See – it doesn’t feel very good, does it Mr. Harris?

     

    If you know of anyone, or see symptoms that they may be struggling with mental illness, please encourage them to seek help. If you can; be a friend – sit and listen.

    National helplines

    Lifeline – 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland

    Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

    Healthline – 0800 611 116

    Samaritans – 0800 726 666

     

  • Ministry website ‘gold-plated’?

    The Ministry of Education has spent a whopping $1.2million on a new website.

    Source: Ministry website ‘gold-plated’?

    I am dumbfounded. Absolutely speechless.

    For once, two of my main passions collide for the first time since designing and building our school website. I worked on this in the school holidays, in my own time, and built it with content from the school’s previous website’s content.

    $1.2 million. It’s $1,200,000. That is a lot of dollars being spent for a website, which in technology terms will be requiring a re-design in 4 years time, is a ridiculous amount.

    That’s $300,000 for each year of it’s life.

    Being a web developer of a variety of small websites, I know the approximate costs of doing this. To get some idea around website costings for large websites, I went and looked up approximate costs for large website designs, for which Education.govt.nz would fit into.

    Executionists suggests that large websites with all the costs can range in the area of $14,700 – $29,900. Being from a US based website, we can assume that this translates to $23,000 – $46,000 per year.

    While this is based on approximate costs, it certainly isn’t anywhere in the region of $1.2 million, or even $300,000.

    Silverstripe is the CMS (Content Management System) that is being used as the backend of the website. This is a Wellington based company, who I have had some minor dealings with (friends of friends helped develop it). Its incredibly flexible, but a lot of the management is done for the user. Silverstripe do partner with developers to help build web solutions. However, it is also Open Source, meaning the Government doesn’t NEED to pay a cent for it.  In 2013, the Government teamed up with Silverstripe as a ‘common web platform’, because it would save money by encouraging the use of Silverstripe for all Government websites, which suggested that 10-15 government  websites were built or redesigned each year.

    The Government has even set up a demo of Silverstripe so that Government agencies can have a play around. Actually, anyone can have a play around. I quite easily signed in and could begin building a demo site. It was easy to see how the Ministry of Education website was developed on from here.

    So, if this is the case, if the back end is already sorted out into default templates; then how did this website end up costing $1.2million?

    Refresh

    There is no doubt the old Ministry of Education website was due for a rebuild. The old site was developed in 2008, and I’m surprised it has taken this long for it to be re-built. Though, if it has a $1.2 million price tag, maybe it is understandable.

    It frustrates me that all that is said in defense of this spending is that the previous website was old and tired and required a rebuild, with new functionality and innovations that is required for our learners, whanau, and teachers in today’s online environment.

    But, at the end of the day, the money spent is exorbitant amount in any terms. It makes me wonder if the Government even “shopped” around for its development. Surely there are a variety of design companies out there that would do as good a job, including all the “functionality”, for a much more reasonable price tag. No one is saying it didn’t require a rebuild. What is being said is that it doesn’t need a whopping $1.2 million spent on a rebuild.

    Historic Trend

    Wait a minute. Haven’t we already seen this? Extreme expenditure on seemingly mundane things?

    Of course we have. This Government has built a reputation for burning holes in it’s pockets.

    Take the case of the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment. In June, it emerged that $70,000 (not previously stated $24,000) was spent on a stone sign out the front of the building. In either case, $24,000 is a ridiculous amount.

    Fast forward to June 17, and it emerges that MBIE spends a whopping $140,000 on a curvy screen that is now in their reception area in the head office in Wellington. This is to go along with a $75,000 reception desk.

    It doesn’t just stop there though. Let’s take a look at the $26,000,000 spent on the new flag that ‘no one’ wants. I say no-one, but I may be exaggerating – much like the expenditure of this Government.

    Meanwhile, children starve, nurses go without a pay-rise, and miners face an improper burial. No amount of money should hold these things back from happening, yet picking and choosing seems to be all that happens.

    As Chris Hipkins and others have put it; this money could be better spent on other things. That’s not to say that the website shouldn’t have been rebuilt; but that this could have been carried out without spending such an unreasonable amount of money.

     

  • Picture Books and Literacy Learning

    I was perplexed, astonished, gobsmacked, and bewildered when I read this article this morning.

    Picture books hurt reading, says linguist Pamela Protheroe

    Read Article – Stuff.co.nz

    There are very few words I can say right now about it.
    Luckily, most of us in Education circles have gotten used to ignoring such ‘research’ and will continue to listen to trained, practising teachers who know what works, rather than these so-called ‘researchers’ who blow in and blow out of a classroom to report their findings.

    But seriously. Let’s stop for just one moment. Someone has based their research thesis on this. Countless dollars on resources, time, and all sorts to carry out this research, and for the most part, it goes against every bit of logical instincts we have.

    My first reaction was – what are the implications for schools should this research be taken on board? Book rooms around the country turned upside down, with pictures being deleted from Ready to Read books, and replaced with text-only books. Picture books being thrown onto a fire in the school courtyard outside the school library. Its just not an image you even want to imagine books and schools becoming.

    Let’s face it. We’ve all been through school where picture books were more than a staple diet. They have helped us to make sense of the world, and have scaffolded our learning of English, which is confusing at the best of times! They have provided enjoyment and fun for reading. Even today, I prefer a good picture book, and the art covered pages that bring the story to life.

    And guess what. I’m not dyslexic. In fact, many of us aren’t. And even those that I know who are dyslexic, have not only learned to adapt with this world, but have done so from a very young age; suggesting that dyslexia isn’t really something that comes to haunt us in later life like baldness or arthritis might. I’m more than sure that if this research was the least bit true, that with the copious amounts of picture books that have been read over the years, we would have countless adults complaining of suddenly developing dyslexia and getting their words and letters muddled.

    Try, just for a minute, to picture it. Where the Wild Things Are, without the beautiful scratching and muted illustrations. The Very Hungry Caterpillar without the large stenciled fruit and holes in the pages. Green Eggs and Ham without the train going through the tunnel on tracks supported by the bamboo-like truffalo trees. There is no way that these stories, without their illustrations, would remain in our minds, but more importantly, remain in our hearts.

    9985972026_54e0b07122Imagination at heart

    As for ruining imagination; I somewhat agree. I believe the imagination of young people has been harmed by the overstimulation of digital media, film, and video games. But not by picture books. Not by still images. The stationary pictures that grace a page provide just a small portion of the imagination required to gather in the entire story. There are a lot more aspects to a story than even what the picture on a page can show us. Theres movement, there’s action, there’s descriptive settings, and facial expressions. There’s reactions and emotions, all of which change and adapt with the story, something that a still image in a picture book. They rather provide a starting point and a kick start for students imaginations to build on.

    Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

    My personal favourite is a book that has no words in it whatsoever. Most likely this is because of my prejudice towards art and drawings. It’s called ‘The Arrival‘ by Shaun Tan, and it is magical. In my teaching through Daily 5, a world wide literacy programme based on in class practice, developed by teachers for teachers, one of the things that is taught is ‘three ways to read a book’. One of those is to read by using the pictures. Even I ran into problems with this when teaching older children, who are now reading chapter books which contain very few pictures!

    In Conclusion

    I guess it is quite good that this researched doesn’t have a memorable name. I can’t even remember it from the title.

    There are a few things that we need to remember. They completely dispute her findings, and lay them to rest almost instantly. Firstly, like music, pictures are a universal language for all. They tell a story on their own. They are invaluable for communicating ideas for ELL students.

    And lastly, and most importantly, I leave you with one common phrase that is used all over the world, and speaks complete truth every time it is used. And I cannot think of a more suitable time to use it than this.

    “A picture is worth a thousand words.”