Good morning everybody (Good morning Mr Morris-Adams, good morning everyone). Today, children, we will be discussing primary schools...
As a primary school teacher in England (and having been one for almost five whole years now), I am particularly interested in the way schools work over in Kiwiland. Unfortunately, the first time I visited NZ, teaching little sprogs was pretty far from my mind so I never made the effort to visit any primary schools. However, on a more recent visit, my wife and I were lucky enough to go to my little cousin's primary school for the afternoon to witness Kiwi pedagogy in action. I know, I know, this is a tiny sample and can't possibly represent all the schools in New Zealand, but it is a place to start, isn't it?!
Well, it was certainly different. We were coming to see a Year 6 class going on and from the moment we approached the school we began saying 'you wouldn't see that back home', and 'that's cool!'. First off, our school in Brum has fences all the way around, CCTV covering every inch of the grounds, and to get in you have to either have a magnetic fob or plead your case through a metallic box by the gate. In contrast, the NZ school was open, welcoming, friendly and laid back. When we arrived, my uncle Mick strolled into the classroom, said 'hey' to the teacher and his son Ollie before embarassing him with a big hug and then strolled out again, leaving us to it!
The children were not wearing any uniform (green jumper, grey or black trousers, black shoes at our school), the teachers were more casually dressed (I'm a big fan of this particular aspect of teaching in NZ), the children were running around the grounds having a great time (it was break, and remember they are children), and of course, they had no shoes on. Yep, no shoes. Brilliant!
In the classroom, kids were allowed to sit in chairs, on the carpet, on a sofa(!), or stand if they wished while the teacher was talking. Admittedly this was Friday avo, but when the teacher asked the children to get on with it, they did. Some finished maths work, some tidied up, some finished a project, but they were all 'on-task'. Our kids are usually required to all sit on the carpet with occasional exceptions for broken legs or extreme fidgeting.
We chatted to some of the children and they were mostly eloquent, enthusiastic, and charming - there were some cheeky ones, and some shy ones - as ever. To be fair to our kids, they can be pretty awesome too.
The grounds however, were a different story. They had a huge expanse of grass to play on at break and lunch times (sans shoes, of course!), big classrooms, benches dotted around the place, a basketball court, and a swimming pool. At a primary school. Love it! We have a tiny speck of grass, lots of concrete and no swimming pool...
I know, I can hear you screaming at the computer. Some schools in the UK have lots of grass and no security, and are brilliant, and conversely some schools in NZ are probably run-down and somewhat less appealing. It doesn't stop me wanting to go and teach in New Zealand though. Because one day, just maybe, I may be allowed to wear flip-flops (sorry, thongs) to work!
No comments:
Post a Comment