Karakia, prayers, blessings....

As a New Zealander, I have become immersed in the culture where there are karakia, blessings and prayers said at hui, during funerals, weddings, and many other occasions, not least of which is when people offer prayers to friends in need, or even me. I respectfully wait for the moment to be over and always feel a bit remorseful for not having any faith to put trust into. I like the sentiments that are expressed but just don't get who they are saying them to.
I watched Graham Nortons's programme on TV recently when he was interviewing the star of The Office - Ricky Gervais and he had finished his hosting of the Oscars or some such other event by saying "....and I want to thank God for making me an atheist." which was pretty offensive to many Americans apparently because, as Johnny Depp said at the time, "God has a home in the American Mid-West." Apparently, about 90% of USA citizens are believers whereas it is more like 50% in Britain.
So I wondered what the percentage was like in New Zealand. I guess I could go to the government census statistics - the 2006 census showed about 66% believers ( on the decrease from the previous census). It will be interesting to see what happens in the next census (remembering we bypassed a census due to the Christchurch earthquake). Will there be a resurgence of religion due to human response to the disasters?
Its not that I wouldn't like to have faith, I just don't. It must be quite nice to have some hope for life after death, reassurance for people who want to see their loved ones again and all the other benefits that religion must bring to the psyche.
What do other (34%) of non-believing people do when all the karakia, prayers and blessings are on? I have never asked for fear of offending someone but I would quite like to know. Our politicians all seem to be able to offer prayers for in troubled times so it cant be them.

Huripoki -Flipping New Zealand style

“Culture is central to learning. It plays a role not only in communicating and receiving information, but also in shaping the thinking process of groups and individuals. A pedagogy that acknowledges, responds to, and celebrates fundamental cultures offers full, equitable access to education for students from all cultures.”[1]
While writing up a paper about flipped learning recently, I started to think about whether flipped learning fitted into the cultural context of New Zealand and decided to have a close look at the Tataiako – the cultural competencies, which every teacher in New Zealand should be aspiring to apply to their teaching practice.
The cultural competencies should promote Maori learners to achieve educational success as Maori. There are five competencies and they are Ako, Wananga, Manaakitanga, Tangatawhenuatanga, and Whanaungatanga. They have links to the Registered Teacher Criteria and the Professional Teaching Standards, so should be well understood by New Zealand teachers. I really don’t know if they are well known or not, but every school which has subscribed to Te Kotahitanga or He Kakano would be aware of them at least.
Image from google stock: [2]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ddpLu_8QLlg/TmbXSAWcjpI/AAAAAAAADwo/-lIOI59FxTk/h120/86494575_highres.jpg

So, as I wrote about flipped learning, (which is the concept of students watching videos at home on the content of their curriculum and coming to school to discuss, question and practice using the concepts in practical or applied ways) it was really interesting to find out that the concept of “the guide on the side, instead of the sage on the stage” was used in one of the first papers about flipping by J Wesley Baker in 2000[3] This, to me, encapsulates what Ako is all about – taking responsibility for your own learning and that of Maori learners. In the classroom this looks like – a teacher sitting alongside a student and discussing, rather than lecturing from the front. The teacher is the guide on the side, learning from the student as well. (Reciprocal learning.)

[4]Image - reproduced from Colin Smith under Creative Commons licensing
In fact, it seems to me that each of the competencies, as I worked through them all, are really about good teaching no matter who and where you are. Wananga is the professional development and problem solving that you do to find the best outcome for the students - in fact “Teaching as Inquiry”. What suits the individual student best? Tangatawhenuatanga is about accepting who the learner is, knowing their cultural identity and allowing them to achieve within their own cultural context. Whanaungatanga is about knowing your learner’s family and their cultural context, making good respectful links with them and their culture. And Manaakitanga is about caring about the student, a mutual respect and understanding about who the student is and what their beliefs are..
I came to the conclusion that “Flipping” could be an excellent pedagogical method for teachers of Maori students as all of the competencies could be applied to create appropriate videos for Maori students or by Maori students. Guide on the side, problem solving, knowing your learners, knowing their families and connections and what works for them, and above all caring about the student and believing that they can learn and achieve.
[1] http://www.alliance.brown.edu/tdl/tl-strategies/crt-principles.shtml)
[2] https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ddpLu_8QLlg/TmbXSAWcjpI/AAAAAAAADwo/-lIOI59FxTk/h120/86494575_highres.jpg
[3] Baker, JW. "The “classroom flip”. Using web course management tools to become the guide on the side." 11th international conference on college teaching and learning, Jacksonville, FL 2000.
[4] http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/87/32/1873298_1a99d27c.jpg
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Location:Taupo, New Zealand

A day in the life of a deputy principal.

Often wondered if I could remember what I did all day. It all goes by in such a blur it is hard to recall the seemingly thousand things I do in a day.
So here's a go at an outline of it.
Started at 7 am as usual.
Filled my diary with the work for the day and checked emails.
Caught up with the office lady to see what else had to be done for prizegiving, gave her instructions on what to do about the book prizes.
Put letters composed on previous day in the main office to be sent home.
Touched base with the groundsman/ caretaker to check if all was well.
Prepared the day's programme for discussion on the senior prize giving.
Prepared the lesson for my class on the Smartboard software.
Wrote up the whiteboard in the staff room with the day's instructions.
Talked to the ap about other arrangements for the prizegiving meeting after school
8.00am Went to senior management meeting for 20 minutes to make arrangements for the day.
Went to staff meeting and gave instructions for the day.
Back to the office and saw students about doing items for prizegiving. Took details and arranged for the programme to be rewritten.Made arrangements about revision classes with students.
9 am Proof read the prizegiving list for the AP and advised which bits needed to be changed. Also advised about the book awards. Started reading documentation about the impending CAPNA process. Checked out spreadsheets required and printed out class sizes for 2013. Wrote down possible combinations of different levels of classes to try to reduce teaching hours.
Met with the LSM and a colleague about the CAPNA process, printed and shared resources and discussed timelines and possible outcomes. Made arrangements to meet again.
Went to class to organise computer and assessments which needed to be marked.
11am started class and talked with students about their results and checked their number of credits online. Marked assessments, rolls and helped students which their work. Went to the computer room with the students so they could study using the online resources on Moodle. Marked two more assessments. Arranged for the bell to go so singing practice could begin.
12.15am saw an angry student from another class in the corridor and listened to his bad language ranting, but got him down to the main office to wait until music practice was over. Told him to think about his bad language and whether that would help him get his phone back from the teacher.
Left him at the office and went to music practice in the hall, held interwhanau competition between the four Whanau to find which group would be the best singers of the school song so that we could get a bit better in rehearsal. Fielded a staff member's rant about how he didn't think the students allowed out first should have been because of the way they sung the song. Went back to office and talked to AP about student consequence for poor behaviour.
1pm went to the staff room to eat my sandwich and then returned to my office with coffee.
Was given ICT committee minutes to check over. Did so.
Was given a copy of the school magazine to proof read. Answered messages on Kamar requesting information. Read more on the CAPNA documents from PPTA. Proof read magazine. Advised AP on procedures for after school meeting.
3.20pm went to after school meeting, ran the meeting to find prize winners for major prizes.
4.30pm returned to office to finish proof reading magazine. Left office for 15 minutes to support upset colleague. Proof reading finished at 6.40pm.
7.00 Packed up and went home to have dinner.
8.00 pm Answered email from colleagues regarding curriculum design in the school.
Think I might have a drink now and then gather strength to get through next day.
Sorry I missed out a fair bit but hard to write it all up.







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Location:Ruapehu Road,Ohakune,New Zealand

The journey home

On a sunny day, there is no more beautiful place on earth than the central volcanic plateau around Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro.




I drove home to Taupo on Friday night, and it was such a day. I always feel a nostalgic sentimentality as I drive past these beautiful mountains. From the other side, the view out my office window is just as stunning.




so i am not sure if i want to be here or the other side. This is a very metaphorical reflection.
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Location:Boundary Road,Waipahihi,New Zealand

Losing your job

CAPNA is not a word that a lot of people will know.  It is what happens when you have too many teachers at a school.  Christchurch teachers know what it is like, as students fled northward to escape the shakes, and many other teachers throughout the country, where falling rolls determine their fate.  Basically, it is a process to work out which teacher is going to be made redundant at your school.  We don't often hear about teachers being made redundant.  Its not that it doesn't happen, it is just that it happens without media hype.  After all teachers are a bad lot anyway aren't they?  All those holidays...ppppfffttt....lazy buggars!
CAPNA would be a great chance to get rid of some of those rotten teachers.
So I just want to tell you a bit about a CAPNA.  It stands for curriculum and pastoral needs analysis.  Senior managers have to look at a lot of data and then find the teacher who is "needed the least" in terms of subject demand and how many students they work with.  And then we have the unpleasant job of informing someone that they are no longer needed, go, get, kaput, its over for you, go find another life somewhere else!
In a larger secondary school it may be slightly easier, you have five or six or more teachers in one department.  In a small school you have usually one teacher, one department.  So you probably get rid of a department that someone has put their life into.   Or someone who has moved to the country, built a house , made friends, forged a place in the community.  And they are part of your community, you know them well, you know their kids, you know their life, you know their strengths and their illnesses, you know how the loss will shatter their world and self belief, if not permanently, then at least for a year or two of their life.
So at the moment, in my school we are going through a CAPNA.
 Also, ERO are coming in 10 days.  You know the people who sift through the details of your school's life, checking for what you have done, or not done, over the past three years.  They will write up a report based on their snapshot of what they see, which is also based on the data and reports you write up for them. So, yes, it is a lot of extra work.  They tell you that it isn't, but it is.  You know your school more intimately than they ever will, but they write their report and the world judges you on the report they write.  So you have to get all the evidence and data you possibly can that will portray the school that you know.
Oh, and ERO are coming into the school the week before our seniors leave to go and sit their exams.  You know, the time when we are wrapping up all the lessons, trying to fill the gaps that students have in their learning, and prepare them for the snapshots that will shape their futures.  The time that we run around like crazy trying to make sure every student has the resources they need to be able to pass.
At the same time we are also preparing for prize-giving, gathering information from every teacher on who is first, second or deserves a mention in the prize-giving, sports awards, cultural awards, speech awards,special awards and also who is dux and who is runner up.  A big job in any year.
Added to that the fact that we have an LSM (limited statutory manager)  in the school which is a person taking over some of the role of the Board of Trustees.  He wants to know every in and out of the running of the school.   Some people call it a witch hunt. Along with all that, I have to put together a timetable for 2013.
This Labour Weekend, I won't have time to drive one and a half hours to my fathers 88th birthday dinner and back home again.  But guess what, I am going to.  And one happy thought.... maybe I will be the teacher who is CAPNA'ed.  I will have a lot less to do then.

Location:Wembley Place,Richmond Heights,New Zealand

The real story

In my job I often find myself listening to different accounts of the same incident. It is interesting how much this can vary, even when the individuals are convinced that their version is the correct one.
I have come to the realization that this is true for nearly every facet of life. The truth is really only something that a number of people agree on and this can still be very subjective.
Take a good look at yourself and think about how many judgements you have made based on your idea of the truth. Scary isn't it?



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Location:Tainui Street,Ohakune,New Zealand

Broadband charges

Reading the Herald on my iPad this morning. Seems like broadband charges are cheaper and cheaper. The article quotes unlimited data through Orcon with your home phone is $99 while Vodaphone has 80 gig for home phone at $120 and Telecom lagging behind of course but my plan is about 40 gig for about the same price. On my reckoning that's about one dollar per gig if you take the phone out of the equation. So WHY ARE THE CHARGES equivalent to $150 per gig at motels and hotels in New Zealand? Someone is very greedy - that is why.


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Location:Wembley Place,Richmond Heights,New Zealand