SNOWFLAKES in February in North Canterbury
Whats wrong with our men in north Canterbury? Are they all snowflakes? Afraid to get their hands dirty? A young lady in Amberley Countdown carpark on Saturday had a flat tyre and whilst she was trying herself to get the nuts off they had been put on by machine and no amount of jumping up and down on the tyre tool could get them undone. She had asked a couple of young guys for help.. to no avail.. they were in a rush they said.... as they sauntered off into the shops! She was just about in tears when along came a knight in shining armour who helped her out getting tools from his car to get the nuts undone and then helping her get the tyre off and the new one on.. This man could hardly walk himself and struggled to get one knee on the ground to do the job.. whilst other young men walked by them. How do I know this? because this knight was my husband heading towards 70 years of age with a heart condition and in need of a hip replacement. Yet HE still managed to stop and help whilst all the snowflakes walked by. The age of chivalry is not dead BUT the younger generations need to step into the shoes of the older ones to carry on being MEN. So to all you snowflakes out there it is not that we women cant DO things it is sometimes just a matter of strength. Policemen used to help with these sort of things but they are too busy giving people speeding fines to be real policemen looking after the people . So come on YOUNG men show us you have some balls, it was just a nut that needed undoing she wasnt asking for a kidney ! So I will say THANK YOU to my husband for his kindly deed even if he was in pain for the rest of the day
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Education changes: Area schools ‘copping it from all directions’
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
A North Canterbury principal says area schools are ‘‘copping it from all directions’’ with Government changes to education.
Amuri Area School principal Matt Barlow has written to Education Minister Erica Stanford to ask whether the pace of change can be slowed down.
Area schools cover all year levels from new entrants to year 13, tend to be smaller and are based in rural areas, meaning they face pressures to implement curriculum changes across the board.
‘‘Schools like Rangiora High School don’t have to worry about year 1 to 3 literacy and numeracy, and primary schools don’t have to worry about changes to NCEA.
‘‘We are a bit of an afterthought. Area schools are like an airport and principals are like air traffic controllers, with planes coming from all directions.’’
While some rural school rolls are falling, Amuri Area School is managing a growing roll.
The roll has jumped from 335 to 380 students since the start of 2023, which includes its largest roll of year 7s (50) and year 13s (22).
Barlow said the school is working with the Ministry of Education to design a new building for science, technology and arts classes.
No budget or timeframe has been decided.
Amuri Area School is in Culverden, on the way to Hanmer Springs, and the relative isolation adds to the challenges.
The relief teacher pool is limited, meaning Barlow and his two deputy principals have had to step into the classroom several times this year.
Roger Hornblow became principal at Cheviot Area School in term four last year, having been a long serving primary school principal.
‘‘Area schools are very complex and I don’t think it is appreciated by everybody.
‘‘We are dealing with the NCEA changes and the year 0 to 8 changes. It is really complex.
‘‘But that is part and parcel of the beast and we need to make sure we do it in a way which give students the best outcomes.’’
It means professional development is constant, and Hornblow is pleased with how his staff are stepping up.
He would like to see ‘‘a unified education policy’’ which did not change every time there is a change of Government.
The New Zealand Education Institute Te Riu Roa and the New Zealand Principals' Federation also called on the Government last week to slow down the implementation of new structured math and English curriculum.
New NCEA literacy and numeracy online tests have also come under fire from secondary school principals around the country.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said extra support is being provided to area schools in North Canterbury, with curriculum advisors visiting schools, assisting with teacher only days and providing webinars.
The schools also have the support of the ministry's area school leadership advisor Stephen Beck, who is taking a year out from his role as principal at Hurunui College.
"Support will be ongoing as the local team looks to ensure our rural area schools have the assistance they require to implement and embed these changes."
But she said introducing structured literacy and numeracy will take time, especially for schools teaching it for the first time.
"Embedding a curriculum refresh, running professional development and responding to our sector feedback are things we will work on together over the coming years."
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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