To galvanise people to work at the forefront of education so that joy-filled empowerment is the common experience for everyone.
I’m passionate about my profession, and I’m passionate about galvanising educators to be the best they can be for our tamariki. The word “galvanising” has been carefully chosen. It’s more intentional than the phrase “to inspire”: it’s the recognition that staff need to be trained, resourced, challenged, and encouraged in order to grow.
Making sure that education fits everyone is vital. It’s challenging, but it’s vital: hence the phrase “common experience for everyone”. We have the responsibility to ensure our environment is equitable and inclusive.
Empowering people to be resilient and responsible is what our profession is about. This is why “joy-filled empowerment” is in my why statement. If staff, tamariki, and the community find joy, empowerment and belonging, then they will succeed in any aspirations they have. This is just as relevant for staff as it is for students.
I work at the forefront of education, and I say this proudly. Turning a traditional environment into a future focused school:
- with 1-1 ipads,
- learner agency taught and modelled,
- personalised learning through resource hubs and the use of Hero,
- along with a strong pedagogical digital education model, and
- progressions created across all curriculum areas with live reporting for whānau.
Over the years, I have tracked the impact we have had on the progress and engagement of our tamariki so that our initiatives are based on evidence, not novelties. As a result, we have built a presence both regionally and nationally, happily sharing our journey with other schools and kaiako.
“There are leaders and then there are people who lead”. – Simon Sinek