Matariki

Haka Waiata Competition at Papakura High School

Coming up to Matariki our whanau groups at school have been working very hard on the school Waiata and Haka. In week 9 there will be a competition, all whanau groups will perform both these items and will be judged to decide on a winner. I am excited that I will get to be a part of this experience and perform with my whanau. I have also enjoyed watching how our groups come together to be a part of such a significant time of the year specifically for our Maori students. Celebrating Maori success and allowing Maori students to be leaders is a great way to provide positive pathways for our students.
I think this portrays the importance of cultural acceptance in our school and enhances the relationships we have with all students.

I have uploaded the haka to show how much effort these ladies put into it. As a Maori teacher, it is a proud moment to watch students you teach lead with such passion and commitment.

Trust and team building

The importance of building relationships with the students of Papakura High School.

Not only does this create trust between students and teachers, but it allows myself as a teacher to be approachable and respected.

'No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care' - this is one of my most favorite quotes which I hope is a reflection of the way I teach.

Since starting at Papakura High School, I spent numerous days working on building relationships with the students in my classes, to not only make teaching easier, but to make learning more positive within the classroom. One thing I have noticed is that the students of Papakura are more likely to engage and complete work when they respect the person in front of them. Building relationships looks like many things. This photo I was on camp with 30 students, we went kayaking and instead of being in front of the class teaching them, I was beside them learning. It was rewarding to watch students in a different environment and am a strong believer on the importance of creating positive respectful relationships with students.

Create, share and learn

Google Slide - PLD 10/06/19

    A google slide that provides literacy strategies for people to use within their classes. During this PD we spoke about the importance of creating activities and sharing them with each other so that others can also utilize this strategy if possible, or they can make slight adjustments for the benefit of the students. My favorite activity was Frayer activity. Students have to chose a word from a list they must then define it in their own words, provide facts about the word, then use words or images to give examples and non-examples. I though this was great as it allows students to gain a more in depth understanding about specific and important words in classes.
I found this PLD very interesting, as a PE teacher it can be difficult to implement certain literacy strategies when in the gym, however I was introduced to some very basic but educating strategies that I can't wait to utilize.