It’s Waitangi Day here in New Zealand today and the discussion I had with my Year 3 class is helping form the basis of my post today. I Hope you enjoy the 6th post in my #28daysofwriting.
So we get a day off today, it’s Waitangi day, a day we celebrate, or protest, what it means to be a New Zealander. I talked to my class about it yesterday. We used the analogy of a group sitting at a table using the iPads. Then I let the rest of the class just go over and try and get a turn. No rules, no guidelines. It was carnage.
When we came back to discuss the students said they felt confused, angry, they didn't know what was happening. The group with the iPad at the start was happy, the group left behind felt like they were missing out and wanted a piece of the action. When I let the group go and try and use the iPads the group at the table felt put out, attacked, one students had even tried to snatch the iPad. The group who were sent wanted to try and push their way in for a turn.
Maybe this was how it was for our forefathers, maybe not. But it got the students thinking. And then we talked about the conflict caused when two groups come together. We talked about the how the Treaty of Waitangi was a way to try and fix some of these disputes. It was probably the best solution at the time.
So the students came up with the idea of sharing being key to the Treaty.
We have also been looking at respect as our school value this week. And something must have stuck because a few students talked about the Treaty being there to show respect for others, one bright spark also worked out that the disputes were over land so maybe it was respect for the environment. Then I added in that maybe it was also about not letting people push you around so it might have also been about respect for yourself.
So in short my Year 3 class and I worked out that Waitangi day was about Respect and Sharing.
And that got me thinking. Because our school has had some pretty big changes in staff recently and i'm sure being the start of the year, many other schools have too. And maybe sometimes the settlement of New Zealand is a good analogy for new staff.
They come in, nervous, excited, on a new adventure. The people already here see the new people… maybe they are a potential friend, maybe threat… they watch carefully seeing how they act. Of course the newcomers bring new tools and ideas that threaten the status quo. Sometimes all this goes smoothly, sometimes it doesn’t.
I think these transitions times can be managed with the ideals that my Year 3 students identified; Respect and Sharing.
Those coming into a new school need to respect the current systems, values and ideals. They have been developed over time. They might be different, you may even view them as wrong, but they are there. Respect them.
For those at the school respect for those coming in is important too. their experiences are very different. They have walked a different path and come from a different ‘world’. Their ideas will be different and remember it will be hard for them to feel like they are values if you try and make them forget about where they came from and make them fit into your way of doing things. So please respect the differences people bring, respect the culture of a school. History is a powerful thing and should never be forgotten.
Sharing is a way to ease the transition. When educators sit down and share their experiences, their understanding and their beliefs then we start to understand each other. We start to see the benefit in the way each of us do things.
How can an incoming staff member understand the importance of why you school works a certain way if you have never shared your journey? How can you understand that new staff member if you never let them share who they are and what they do well?
So please if you have new staff within your school; respect and share. Respect where people are coming from by taking the time to share who you really are. Then when you are one the same page, you can make truly great things happen in your school.
Thank you for reading post 6 of #28daysofwriting. What ways does your school ease the transition of new staff? What experiences have you had - good and bad, with a change like this?
Have a great Waitangi day everybody, I’m out and off for a drink with friends!
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