By Steve Saville
And so the maelstrom that is Term 4 is upon us.
It is always a tricky term to navigate (and yes I do intend to torture this nautical metaphor to within an inch of its life, my apologies in advance) with its frantic preparation for external exams and completion of the curriculum, with its planning for the seemingly endless number of events celebrations, camps and activities that occur at this time of the year and with the need to ensure that all necessary planning for a smooth start to the 2025 school year is all underway.
Ahh the delights of the fourth term, the growing excitement at the prospect of the summer vacation that is just on the horizon and the terrifying reality at how close that horizon is when we look at what has to happen before the end of the school year.
And so into that choppy sea that is Term 4 we offer a blog that presents…nothing new.
This blog offers nothing that is necessarily ground breaking, nothing that hasn’t been said before. In fact most of what is contained in this blog has been said in various forums and in various forms, quite recently.
While that might seem strange or of questionable validity right now, in many respects it is entirely appropriate.
Right now it seems many schools feel that they are a bit marooned, aware that there is a tsunami (I did warn you) of change that is imminent; NCEA/ curriculum/ refresh/literacy/numeracy/Board of Trustees etc.
Most schools seem to be anxiously waiting for the details and specific information, and fearing that we seem to be heading towards a ‘back to the future’ time warp.
Most schools are awaiting the arrival of the ‘map’ that will help them navigate these seas of change and currently they are not totally sure who actually is drawing up this map - or even if there is one.
So taking a pause is almost an enforced state and there is a reluctance to embark in too much self initiated change in this environment. This is understandable and sensible, the time frames are starting to look a little tight so we need to make sure that we can adapt and adopt when the waves hit.
So nothing new here in this blog…except this.
We have a unique opportunity right now to pause and look at what we still do have complete control over and reflect on what adjustments we can make to develop, refine or improve what we do have power over.
If we do nothing at all then nothing will improve, and a feeling of powerlessness may develop where we wait to be told what to do before we take any action at all.
No matter what is happening at a national level we still can (and need to) respond to the needs of our immediate community in an authentic, relevant and appropriate manner. We still need to have a localized response to localized needs. We still need to serve our unique communities in ways that enhance the learning opportunities for all of our ākonga.
There are many nation wide initiatives and developments that we can not control but there are equally important aspects of what occurs within our schools that we can exercise a profound influence over.
Right now, perhaps the most obvious area here is the fact that the 2025 school year will start - and we need to start it as well as we can.
The new year, 2025 will start.
A new cohort of students will start.
Some of these students will be starting their primary/intermediate/secondary journey and some will be new to our community and starting our school or schooling in Aotearoa for the first time.
They have hopes, dreams, ambitions, their families have expectations.
We need to ensure that we welcome them into an inclusive, and safe educational environment that nurtures their development; academic, social and personal.
We can control this introduction, so how can we improve it?
It might just be a tiny change, a small adjustment but it could be the one that sets a young mind on a trajectory to success.
We will have new teachers; some arriving from other schools, some new to the profession, some returning to the profession and some new to Aotearoa, New Zealand.
We can control their induction into our kura, which reassures them of their place in the school vision and empowers them as professional educators.
These arrivals are inevitable.
2025 will also start with the return of our current students and staff and we can plan a start to the year that inspires them to believe that they can all achieve beyond what they thought was possible, inspire them to be better in what they do, learn and teach.
We still have considerable power to shape the learning that takes place within our classrooms because we can still lead and direct what happens at our place and with our people.
I have said similar things before so this is nothing new, but if we don't change what we have always done then how can we improve?
If we wait to be told what to do, how can we empower those we are responsible for?
It's not about radical changes as much as it is about looking at what we have done in the past and doing it a bit better. Reflecting on what is great about our start of the year and looking at what could go better and, where necessary, adjusting and growing. Often it is the tiny changes that have the greatest impact on individuals, especially in the creation of a welcoming and inclusive environment.
It is about the manaakitanga, the smiles, the warmth, the aroha and this is often linked directly to ‘how’ we do things as much as it is about what we actually do.
To help here we have collected and refined a series of our tools that can be used and adapted to help create this inclusive, warm and demanding environment that will ensure that 2025 starts in a way that builds school culture, belief and empowerment.
Reignite your school’s culture, harness the strengths of your team, and make a positive, lasting impact on every learner.
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