Contemporary Issues or Trends in New Zealand

Two trends that are influencing New Zealand Education:

1. Standardisation - Raising Standards - National standards:

In my opinion, based on my 23 years as a principal, this is an issue that is adversely affecting many schools in New Zealand, while bringing, in some cases, some benefits and improvements.

I believe education has been commoditised by our current government in particular. Governments and powers that be like to see a definable, quantifiable, return on investment - ROI.

The consumers, share-holders of the government company that is the Education Ministry, are products of a system that has, in most cases, changed greatly in the generation timeframe between their schooling, and that of their children who are in school now.

Parents have confided in me numerous times that their teachers were not fondly remembered for the sarcasm, power wielding, corporal punishment, formality and boredom that seemed to be all too common. I can relate to many of these issues myself - and far, far worse - from my time as a student.

In my sole-charge country school, we had a succession of teachers who turned up to school at about 9:30 in the winter, who left us alone at interval and lunchtimes as they drove 20 kms to town, who sent us off on a bike during school time to ride 8 kms on shingle roads to buy their tobacco from the country store, who strapped us unmercifully for the tiniest of crimes, who turned a blind eye to the extreme bullying (sexual and physical) perpetrated on a boy whose father suddenly died.

No wonder then, a number of current parents, or parents of older children, feel teachers have it easy with good pay, long holidays and a 9 to 3 workday. These parents are all too happy to see governments make teachers accountable - National Standards sits well with these people and I fully understand why.

Sir Ken Robinson in his talks, his books, and his interviews, refers to the Industrial Model of education, whereby education is modelled on the interests of industrialisation, and in its image. I met with Sir Ken here in Auckland when he was the Keynote Speaker at the International Confederation of Principals some years ago. I was the only Primary school principal invited to speak to this group, but was joined by a Secondary colleague who also addressed them.

Sir Ken was and is deeply concerned with the apparent drive to standardise education - inputs and outputs - expressed in the USA as No Child Left Behind, National Standards here, and similar in Australia and the United Kingdom.

My own experience from two extended visits to a variety of schools on the USA west coast gives validation to Sir Ken's concerns.

One example from San Diego serves well as a model of what I saw in California from San Diego up to San Francisco. When I visited in 2009 and again in 2011, 95% of the students at Escondido Elementary school were Hispanic. We were told that in many cases mum worked a 12 hour shift and when she finished dad started his 12 hour shift. Minimum wage meant they had to work long and hard, and a high number of parents had as many as three jobs.

The National Testing data for this school had been deemed to be below an acceptable standard. No matter that the majority of children started with little or no pre school education and little or no English.

The solution from the Education District was to sack the principal and all the teachers bar one. They appointed a 68 year old ex principal as the replacement, and he set up a new programme.

The day for children was reading, writing, maths. Short break. Reading, writing, maths. Short lunch break. Reading, writing, maths. Go home. PE and sports equipment and playground equipment was sold to raise money for reading, writing and maths. Staff were told there was no place for the arts. Students had to get to college and there was no point in studying the arts at college as there were no worthwhile jobs that could come from this.

Break times were staggered for classes so a limited number were on break at any given time. This was because there was one item of play equipment - a leather ball on a chain hanging from a pole. Children waited in line to give it a hit, then went to the back of the line.

Rachel, the young teacher who was retained, took after school classes on dance, art, computer studies and drama every week. The fifth day was compulsory PD. ex students came back to school after school to help her take these classes. large numbers of children stayed on to take these free classes. Rachel received no reward or official recognition for her amazing efforts on their behalf.

On test days everyone was conscripted to get kids to school - DPs and office staff, grounds staff - collected sick children from home to bring them in to sit in front of a computer and take the test. Absence, no matter how genuine the reason, meant an officially counted Zero score for the child, hurting their performance data as a school.

Sir Ken emphasises the importance of the arts. I have heard them referred to as the fourth R - Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmetic and the 'Rts.

In my experience, the opportunity to express ourselves through the arts makes us better, more complete, balanced, settled, confident, creative and thoughtful individuals. I would lose heart for humanity if the narrowing of the curriculum that National Standards has all too often led to, was to see the death of the arts as happened in Escondito.

1. Standardisation - Raising Standards - National standards Leading to Drugging and/or Rejecting Children:

Sir Ken Robinson, in his discussion with our principals here in Auckland, expressed his concern with the growth in the use of drugs to manage and control children and their supposed medical conditions. He talked about the growth in ADHD drug prescriptions, a really worrying trend of medicating disruptive - read 'disinterested' - children with, for example, Ritalin.

Two children, from my experience, stand out. Child A joined my school, Pomaria, fresh from the USA. His parents were both University lecturers. Child A only ate McDonalds for breakfast and lunch and pizza for dinner. He was in year four. He was medicated on three drugs - ritalin, dexedrine and one other I cannot recall. He took these before school and at lunch time. We were supposed to administer the lunch time dose.

Child A was disinterested in class and would often engage in very disruptive, sometimes violent, behaviours, to gain attention and alleviate boredom.

We introduced him to Garageband on an iMac, then Band-In-A-Box. He was a natural. On a few occasions I had to remove him from the classroom when he was being particularly violent. I had to carry him out and he tried to strangle me with my tie. I told him I would not let him go until he was calm and let me go. I understood the 'arousal cycle' and knew he was not at the point of no return but was choosing his behaviour and response. In the end I outlasted him. He calmed down, we talked. We spent some time on the music apps and he eventually returned to class.

Not long after his parents came to my office before school. Child A would not leave the car and they had to get to University urgently - but I was not to touch him. I asked which of their rules took precedence and they eventually decided I could touch him.

I sat in the car with him, chatted a bit and explained that he didn't have to go to class, he could spend time with me, but he had to leave the car. He refused, so I explained how embarrassing it would be if I had to carry him inside with a carpark full of kids and parents. He knew I meant it - was non negotiable on this. He came calmly and quietly.

From there we introduced him to Sibellius - a very complex music app. He became our school expert and led a digital music club. We did not give him any drugs at lunchtime, and there were no further issues. He presented his work with Sibellius at Auckland Grammar the following year and he and his group won six national digital music awards.

Consistency, persistence and creativity were the key. Child A needed someone who had a bottom line and stuck to it. Someone to talk to him and love him, nurture him and appreciate him as a child and for what he was creatively capable of.

Child B was excluded from his primary school at age five. He was exceptionally violent, angry and disruptive. He attacked with spit, snot, scissors, fists and feet - even head-buts.

Long story short - he needed love, patience, firmness, a creative outlet, hugs and positive human touch. When Child B threw a massive tantrum or became violent I would hold him until he became calm. The first time for 40 minutes. The second about 30 minutes, and then 15 or so minutes. After those three there was only ever one more. I spoke calmly, with patience, love and understanding to him all the time. He would eventually stop and then want to engage in deep and thoughtful conversation. He is old beyond his years, fascinated by Minecraft and loves to create wonderful worlds - complex and creative.

This little man - Child B - is one of the great joys of my life and career. He is an example of what can be achieved without medication - with love, and an outlet for his talents and interests.

I am firmly and fully in Sir Ken's camp.