Paid Union Meetings

This month teachers from our school, along with teachers and principals from throughout NZ met to discuss a number of initiatives to ensure that all children going to school are able to learn the skills and abilities to grow up happy and productive in the 21st century; quality teaching for every child.

Over the past 6 years there has been a 40% drop in the number of people going in to teacher training with a large number leaving the profession within 5 years. This has contributed to a significant shortage of teachers nationwide. If we are to ensure quality teaching for every child then something must be done to make teaching an attractive and sustainable career option for both men and women.

Teachers have huge workloads; ensuring they are planned, ready to teach what children in their care need to learn, with a variety of learning needs and a variety of behaviours, from a variety of backgrounds, as well as keeping up with school expectations and their own learning. There just aren't enough hours in the day nor resources available for supporting teachers to support students with additional learning needs. It has become a daily struggle for some teachers.

"Teachers and principals have consistently raised high workloads, lack of support for students with additional learning and behavioural needs, and undervaluing of the profession as key issues over the last few years. We have tried to address these issues through previous rounds of negotiations and through work programmes.

Although we've made some progress, it has been insufficient to address the deep-seated and fundamental issues facing our profession. This has led to a crisis in recruitment and retention of teachers and principals.

So our Kua Tae Te Wā/It’s Time campaign has been launched to achieve the significant investment we need so that all children can reach their potential, and teaching is an attractive, valued and well-supported profession.

Together we need to build strong community support to ensure the government understands that this crisis can only be solved by major investment."

(from NZEI Website)

So, as a staff, we support the 'Kua tae te wa - it's time' NZEI Te Riu Roa objectives that they will be taking into negotiation -

• to have significant pay increases to address the teacher shortage and retention issues
• to have significant increases to staffing available to all schools to support leaders and teachers working with those with additional learning needs.
• to create meaningful career options for teachers and principals to make it more attractive as a career choice

We appreciate your support. If we want to ensure a world class education for all our children, we deserve to be recognised for providing it! Teachers are worth it! Your children are worth it!

Teacher Only Days

What really happens on teacher only days?
Teacher Only Days (or Professional Learning Days) are days loved by all students, but perhaps dreaded by most parents – especially if you’re a working parent who has to make alternate plans.  I thought I would share what really happens on these days ‘off’ and answer the question, “Why can’t these just happen after school?”

Teacher only days are great way for staff to work together, to learn together and have fun together without having to stop for 'normal' day type routines. No one has to rush off to collect their own children or get to the shops before they close so as a leader, I know that I have a captive audience for the whole day!

Our most recent ToD was held on the Friday before a long weekend. Teaching staff came together to share our understanding of 'student driven, future focused' classrooms and what they might look like at Ngaere School. We were able to take time to explore the research (using QR codes) and talk about our own place and space.
We took time to develop a plan moving forward to ensure the learning in our classrooms becomes more visible so learners are able to talk about what they know, what they need to know and how they may bridge the gap.

                      

At the same time our wonderful teacher aides were working at Stratford Primary School with facilitator, Heather Bell and other TAs from our cluster of schools.

We don't tend to have many Teacher Only days each year but we do consider them to be an extremely valuable Professional learning time.

Welcome!

Hi there! This blog is my way to share what goes on 'behind the scenes' at our school.

I have an amazing staff who all work really hard to do the best they can for all of your children who come through our front gates. All are passionate about achieving the best outcomes for each learner in their classrooms. All are on a learning journey of their own.

I know that few of you believe that teachers work 9-3pm and enjoy the luxury of 12 weeks holiday each year. Most teacher-learning is done outside of normal classroom teaching time, in the evenings, in the weekends, in the holidays. Teachers work hard but they do it because they care and are passionate about what they do.

Education is changing! The way children learn has changed...so the way we teach needs to change too.

We are changing the way we think, the way we do things, the way learning looks at Ngaere School.

Watch this space!!