Current issues in my professional context.

School culture:
Te Waha o Rerekohu Area School is situated in the rural township of Te Araroa on the East Coast, beneath Te Maunga o Whetumatarau. It caters for students in Years 1 to 13, 98% Maori.

As a teacher in an East Coast rural school I am very passionate about my job. I am greeted with a beautiful coastal view where the sun rises in the east shining over our coastal waters. The school itself has the biggest Pohutukawa tree in New Zealand. We are an Area school where primary and secondary are on the one site, along with an immersion unit. Students travel a fair distance to get to school and some are up as early as 5.30am to get ready for their day. Our school has a decile rating of 1. Our Principal of 4 years has been offered a new job and so we have our DP standing in as Acting Principal until the Board of trustees appoints another in the term. The term has started with a bang where orientation week was a blast, getting students engaged in outdoor activities such as kayaking, surfing, swimming etc.. Setting the tone is is just as important 

The existing school community has been consistent over the last five years with just a handful of new families moving into the district. As well we have a lot of transient students. Some are sent to live with other family members. Sad to say some had not attended school and are sent to relatives to get back on track with their education. Again I am very passionate about my job (new challenges).
The school has a warm environment where parents/visitors can walk in and be greeted in our newly refurbished administration block. Whakawhanaungatanga is what its about. Mixing with others, annual whanau sport day, and every student looking out for one another.

Teaching culture:
The school’s curriculum is aligned to The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. It is designed to reflect the school’s context and Ngāti Poroutanga, which links to the schools vision and values.
In the secondary school a broader range of options is offered in Years 11 to 13. A strong partnership has been developed between the school and a trades academy, situated in Gisborne, two hours away where students attend weekly sessions. The combination of the trades academy and NCEA credits ensures students experience success in a range of meaningful ways. Quality teaching practices include positive interactions and relationships between students and teachers, and among students the use of a range of effective teaching strategies to engage students in learning and strong tuakana/teina support. Positive change to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement is occurring through the provision of focused and appropriate professional learning and development
All staff were required to attend the Mindlab PLD which in tow moves us towards focusing on our pedagogy style- Collaborative learning and teaching, using community resources, 21st century skills.

A positive culture permeates the school environment. Students are settled and willing to learn, friendly and respectful. Whānau support and participate in cultural, sporting and outdoor activities. As I refer to panel 2 below I see our school and teaching culture encompasses all of these. The norms of improving schools are interconnected and feed off each other. They do not just represent a snapshot of an effective school. They focus on fundamental issues of how people relate to and value each other. Stoll and Fink (1996)

Panel 2
Norms of Improving Schools
1. Shared goals—“we know where we’re going”
2. Responsibility for success—“we must succeed”
3. Collegiality—“we’re working on this together”
4. Continuous improvement—“we can get better”
5. Lifelong learning—“learning is for everyone”
6. Risk taking—“we learn by trying something new”
7. Support—“there’s always someone there to help”
8. Mutual respect—“everyone has something to offer”
9. Openness—“we can discuss our differences”
10. Celebration and humour—“we feel good about ourselves”
 Stoll and Fink (1996)

As a teacher I feel confident in my practice as the passion is a driving force that gets me here everyday. I came from a Primary teaching degree and after years doing that and loving it, I felt I needed a change and so I made the decision to move into Secondary teaching. Needless to say I still miss the babies but also enjoy the challenge of older students and learning and teaching NCEA Visual Art.

Organisational Culture:
Because of our Professional development and ever changing environment in the school structure we aim to move with the times. As a school we always look towards improving ways to best meet the developing and achievements of all students. Programs are developed for those who have learning difficulties and those who need to be challenged, but also for those who are settling into their new school environment.  It is important we develop  the school culture so we can cater and meet the needs of all our students and the community so that they can feel valued and achieve success and we know as teachers, we are doing our job.                      

References:
Stoll, L., & Fink, D. (1996). Changing our schools: Linking school effectiveness and school improvement. Buckingham: Open University Press.