Posts by Jane Pearson
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Hard News: It's not funny because it's…, in reply to Ian Dalziel,
You make me laugh, Ian.
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Hard News: Moving from frustration to disgust, in reply to Jackie Clark,
Kia ora Jackie from a fellow teacher. You are so right about the daily dynamics of teaching. Being with a class of children can be so many things - energising, exhausting, exciting, emotional - all in the space of a day, an hour, a few minutes. It was not until a few years ago when I had a teacher aide in the room all day with a boy with special needs that I had another's perspective on the constant and complex interactions happening between me and the children. I remain as fully committed as ever and feel boosted by the discussion on this thread - thank you Russell and the PA community.
I also agree with Tim Kong about the role teachers need to play in the conversations about change and new issues. When national standards were first mooted, the professional body focused on the effect on teachers which just made us look self-interested instead of looking at what it meant to shoehorn children into a learning progress model of one size fits all.
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Hard News: Briefing, blaming, backing down, in reply to slarty,
+1
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Hard News: This Is Not A Complicated Issue, in reply to Islander,
I too thought Nic Low's piece was wonderful - the bells idea is beautiful especially in light of what he wrote about the way the sound of the earthquake coming was heard by musicians with an ear tuned to picking up pitch and resonance.
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Middle class and a baby boomer!
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Up Front: Absence in the Arcades, in reply to Geoff Lealand,
Alice in Videoland is already operating through the website, albeit in a different way. Order online and have it posted as before or pick up from a location outside the red zone. It's not quite the same as browsing the shelves but a start in the right direction.
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In late 2008, I had only just begun to follow PA and one Saturday, in early December I think, I avidly followed the posts as people commented on a bill being debated under urgency in Parliament. This was the bill, introduced by the new National government, which brought in national standards. And Jolisa, I remember being amazed that someone was commenting from the US as this bill was passed and I learned a whole lot about the failure of similar programmes around the world and as a teacher I was afraid. And later I came to realise your place and significance in the PA community and have always enjoyed reading your contributions.
There are some NZ schools who have bravely stood up against the implementation of national standards but they are being backed into a corner. I admire their stand as they recognise and explain the inherent flaws in such a system as national standards, especially as we approach the stage when schools are required to report on the progress their students are making in relation to the standards and provide the figures to back up this progress.
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Up Front: P.A. Story, in reply to Ian Dalziel,
There is something heartbreakingly haunting about that photo.
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Hard News: Radio NZ: Sailing on in…, in reply to Ross Mason,
That's exactly how I felt, Ross. I was interested in the research about the limitations of teaching reading with phonics but in the first interview it seemed that the reporter didn't actually realise that Professor Nicholson is a strong proponent of phonics and her questioning wasn't quite making the issues any clearer. Maybe I was still half asleep. And I only caught snippets of the followup material. I did wonder where the usual education reporter was as we need those specialists, like Karen Brown in Health, who have thought through some of the issues and have the background knowledge to fill in the gaps. Have they gone?
I have been feeling disquiet with Morning Report lately although I have wanted to give Simon Mercep the benefit of the doubt as he settled into the role. I think and hope he has potential. I don't like the grab bites - sometimes they go straight into one of the pieces they have just mentioned and it all has a predictability about it. There seems to be so much being repeated through the morning and one could get the impression sometimes that there really isn't a lot happening.
I too have noticed the lack of politicians and it feels like RNZ is being sidelined this election year. Thanks Russell for highlighting some of the issues. -
Ever since I started reading PA, I've had fun working out the acronyms but IIRC has remained beyond me. I knew as soon as I found what it was, it would be really obvious and tonight I succumbed and looked it up - and now I know! I also know that puts me in a certain demographic.
As a Christchurch resident for my first 25 years and a frequent visitor, I read everything I can about the future of a city that is part and parcel of who I am and my history. My grandmother lived on Avonside Drive near the Gayhurst Road bridge and when I stayed with her, we would walk along the river, past the old family villa, Willownook, and on towards Kerrs Reach.
When we visited Adelaide a few years ago we stayed with a friend who lives In Fullarton about 30 minutes walk from the city centre which can be reached along grassy paths crisscrossing urban streets. Her very modest flat is in a group of apartments of various sizes in two storey and three storey blocks with trees scattered between them. There is no room for gardens but she took us to her community allotment garden about ten minutes walk away which had been developed over two sections with communal hens, composts, fruit and nut trees as well as the garden spaces. Also within walking distance are the library, local shops, a few cafes and a small shopping mall. What really struck me was that basically she lives in a village, surrounded by her community and the type of amenties that suit her, albeit with the resources of a large city close by. I'm sure there are parts of Adelaide that are like new subdivisions anywhere, with not much of this "village" quality.
As Christchurch residents face more uncertainty in the months ahead, I hope that redevelopment retains or regains the human scale that we can relate to.
And thank you all for yet another fascinating thread.