It’s that time of the year again when AsTTle is about. Time to sift the sheep from the goats. Time to see if that 17% of my class who were at Level 2 have moved any since the beginning of the year. And here’s my praying that they have.
I’m quite delighted that my pay is not results based. Would I have tried any harder if they had? Would I have motivated them any differently? A performance bonus would be more the ticket! Yet how are we to fairly assess students? We mark them against national norms. But how does that really help? Surely there are so many factors involved in the development of a child….
Teachers say: "Well, it’s the home background…"
Parents say: "What are the schools teaching them these days?"
"Whenever he comes back from his dad’s/mum’s…"
"It’s the class sizes"
"He’s in with the wrong crowd"
"She always been a dreamer"
"You can’t put in what God left out"
I love that final, all encompassing disclaimer…
What would God say? "I have made each child in my own image, unique and special in everyway. With their own set of gifts and skills. It’s up to each you to find those gifts let the child blossom… I don’t care if you’re their mother, father, nanna or teacher. The task is the same."
Not all gifts and talents are measureable… most aren’t to be truthful. Yet they eaqually important in developing and growing students.
One of the Education stories of the day was reported on National Radio this morning . School Uniforms pricing and policy is being called into question. Several news blogs and news sites are running the story.
It comes at an interesting time for me as last Sunday a friend of mine was talking about the cost of their kids school uniform as being upward of $700. I thought about this wondered if they had their numbers wrong but on the radio this morning I discover that the cost of a school skirt could be upward of $100! That total bill appears quite enormous.
Then I got thinking about the fact that school is said to be "free at the point of delivery". Hmmmm…. I think not.
With the cost of school uniform being… $700. Yearly fees being $500, stationery levy being $50 it all too soon mounting up. And I fear I am only touching the surface.
What areas of ‘voluntary contribution’ have I missed?
I consider the school ski trip and the Japanese lessons with the specialist tutor after hours or the violin practise at 3pm on a Wednesday to be areas where parents have a genuine choice as to whether they opt in or out.
But what about the rest?
I must ask around what a parent has to pay. I was wondering how much it would be for where you are? And what categories that comes under?
On the radio this morning was a report out about how ‘unqualified’ many of our school principals are.
Since 2005 the ‘First time Principal’s course’ has been running. Not being one I only have staffroom discussion to go by, but many of the areas under consideration there are designed to enable many Principal’s to make the transition between ‘classroom teacher’ to ‘School Manager’. Though there are no formal qualifications required for a Principal the ‘career route many take through ‘syndicate leader, senior management, DP/AP surely offers many the opportunity to develop their people management skills and ‘school-wide’ perspective. I know the UK offers qualifications for those aspiring principals by way of the NPQH. Perhaps that is the line we in New Zealand need to go down. But to here of the closure of the Principal’s Development Programme Centre at such a time as this does not reflect well on the emphasis and direction the government places on School Management.
Will we really want to undergo a course qualifying us for school leadership without the guarantee of securing a Principalship prior to spending what will be a large amount of our savings?
I have heard of, and quite like, the model where a Principal – with a teaching background- is responsible for the school, as they are currently but then instead of employing that DP or second AP they employ a Vice Principal (Finance) or some other fancy title that means they take responsibility for the ‘business side’ of the school management. I know some secondary school do this already.
Could Primaries do something similar?
