I am getting sick of this.....

Submitted by Susannah Fowler on Wed, 04/08/2010 - 11:09am

I am starting to get annoyed. It takes a great deal to ruffle my feathers, however I would like to hear genuinely from our Minister’s mouth that there are a great number of schools in New Zealand doing a really good job!

 
National Standards have become all-consuming for everyone linked to schools, either as parents or teachers, or actually anyone that ever went to school. I have no particular standpoint on National Standards; I do, however, have a standpoint on the bad press and the hammering that principals and teachers have been taking on the subject. I have been a principal for over 20 years and in that time have done my absolute best to improve student achievement. I believe that the majority of the principals in New Zealand’s 2029 primary schools are doing just that – working as hard as they can for other people’s children and making a difference to their lives and in some cases caring more than the people at home.
 
I think the idea of ‘expert practitioners’ is condescending when presented as a peanut butter approach to solving the problem of children failing at school. Spread it thinly - 50 people divided by 2029 schools! This way we will stop children failing - NOT. Firstly, where do these people come from? Successful schools? Replace them with the 3% of teachers who aspire to be principals? Then let’s replace all those people with the folk lining up to be teachers ????? Oh darn, no one wants to be a teacher because you just get hammered - Catch 22.
 
I don’t know the answer but I do know that our staff work hard, they chose to be teachers for better or worse. We have a committed group of professional, dedicated teachers. Perhaps I should invite the Minister out for a chat?