By Rebecca Thomas
(Image typoed and generated by ChatGPT)
What we wish the Ministry of Education had given us instead of a compliance checklist!
It’s December, and instead of sugarplums, the MOE has stuffed our stockings with mandates, frameworks, and more data collection than Santa’s naughty-and-nice list. But what if they’d written us the Christmas list we really deserve?
Here's the version that celebrates the heart of teaching—the stuff we actually love about what we do—alongside a cheeky guess at what the MOE (Erica) is actually hoping for.
Achievement and Curriculum
What they said: Implement structured approaches, phonics checks, and updated curriculum content.
What the MOE really want:
A nation of compliant classrooms where every lesson looks the same, complete with phonics checklists and bulletproof benchmarks.
Proof that their frameworks work, even if it means squashing spontaneity and joy.
Teachers who "tick boxes" as efficiently as Santa’s elves pack presents.
What we deserve:
A curriculum that trusts teachers to know their students best and gives us space to adapt and innovate.
Resources that don’t just tell us what to teach but inspire us to deliver lessons that make kids’ eyes light up.
Permission to let the students take the lead—because their questions, creativity, and connections always outshine any framework.
Attendance
What they said: Use revised attendance codes, report daily attendance, and pilot the STAR framework.
What the MOE really want:
Precise data so they can crunch the numbers and release attendance graphs.
Immediate responses to absences—preferably before the student has even left their driveway.
A perfectly piloted STAR framework ready to roll out nationwide in 2026.
What we deserve:
Acknowledgment that relationships—not attendance codes—bring kids through the door.
More moments like when a student says, “I came to school today because of your class!”
Support to create safe, welcoming spaces where kids feel seen, valued, and excited to show up.
Oh, and maybe a magical wand to resolve barriers like transport and housing while we’re at it?
Classroom Release Time
What they said: Enjoy 25 hours of classroom release per term.
What the MOE really want:
Teachers who use their CRT to implement even more MOE-driven initiatives.
Meetings where CRT is spent discussing attendance data, compliance updates, and the finer points of phonics checks.
Gratitude for those 25 hours—even if it barely scratches the surface of what teachers need.
What we deserve:
Time to breathe, reflect, and recharge without feeling like we’re just plugging holes in a never-ending to-do list.
Encouragement to use CRT for actual creativity—planning lessons that involve spray paint, drama, or whatever lights up our students’ worlds.
A system that reminds us it’s okay to prioritise ourselves occasionally, because teachers who thrive create classrooms that thrive.
Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches
What they said: Here’s a new model for school lunches.
What the MOE really want:
A smooth rollout where no one mentions the inevitable hiccups.
Photos of happy, healthy students enjoying their lunches for next year’s promotional materials.
Teachers quietly managing any chaos behind the scenes.
What we deserve:
A world where every child has enough to eat, without the logistical headaches.
Lunchtimes where kids share their meals and stories, making connections that go beyond the classroom.
Maybe a little extra funding for staff-room snacks, too? Teachers need fuel!
Charter Schools
What they said: The first charter schools will open.
What the MOE really want:
A splashy success story to justify this policy move.
Data showing charter schools “work,” even if it’s at the expense of public education.
Educators who quietly accept the shift, despite its implications for equity and trust.
What we deserve:
A commitment to strengthening every public school, because all kids deserve the best, right where they are.
Policies that trust in the power of the teaching profession rather than outsourcing education to private ventures.
A reminder that no matter what changes around us, our classrooms remain places of hope, growth, and possibility.
Teachers don’t need more compliance. What we need—what we deserve—is the space to keep doing what we do best: inspiring young minds, connecting with whānau, and bringing joy and curiosity into learning.
This Christmas, let’s re-gift the MOE’s checklist and focus on the real magic of teaching: the moments that make us laugh, cry, and come back for more every day.
Kia kaha, educators! Unwrap 2025 with courage, care, and a little bit of cheek.
Merry Christmas from Steve and Becca!
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