Larger Classes: Good Education or a Cost Cutter?

Larger Classes = Less Teachers = Less Expenditure On Education

= ?

Rangiawhia School in the 19s60s

My comments here are based on experience as a primary teacher. The largest class I had was 40 fortunately only for a term. Most classes I had from 1959 to 19 72 were between 32-36. My smallest class was a special class of 14 children. What a relief to have that few even though they had learning difficulties; in two cases severe. They improved in reading, speaking, writing, and other subjects. In every case they were well below their chronological age in reading; the most severe was a twelve year old with a reading age of six. He improved from that to eight in one year. Four improved their reading so that it equated with their actual ages in the same time; or an improvement of about three years. Those were able to go to a larger, "normal" class, but kept coming back. Eventually two had socially advanced to the point where they could cope and didn't come back. 

We sometimes forget the effect in learning that a proportion of the children can have on a class. In one of say 35 children, if there are 10-15 who are academically advanced, their presence and impact can improve the rest. In some cases the improvements are spectacular. They can "pull" up the rest academically including themselves. Behaviour also becomes less disruptive. I had large classes (35 plus)  at a time when I was an inexperienced teacher. This does not mean that those classes did not progress. Far from it. Each class has its own character reflecting communities they came from. Parental unemployment wasn't a problem then. SES status was, as was extreme social behavior. The child poverty spoken of now was rare. Teachers tended to blame parents for  learning difficulties. Eventually I realized that however true that was, only the teachers were paid to educate children, not parents. We tended to claim successes and make orphans of our failures. However as far as class sizes are concerned smaller is much better academically whether they be in private or public schools. 

Paying the "best" teachers was through grading of teachers performance by Inspectors and scaling of positions. This enabled the best graded to win higher paid jobs within schools and education. In other words if the "best" teachers should get higher pay then someone/system has to decide who these are and what the criteria are to determine "best" teacher. It's ironic that  the harshest critics of that system were us teachers and our unions. Whatever system is imposed to determine this would need to be fair to all teachers.

Those Asians Again!

Those Asians Again!

Haven't we Kiwis got anything better to do than whinge about Asian language signs on their shop fronts? Are we that sensitive? It's a reminder of those times when Kiwis complained about Maori names and greetings in Te Reo on radio. Bloody ridiculous in other words. Winston Peters tells us that these signs are an indication that the English requirement for immigrants from Asia is not working. Rubbish! The fact that they can open a shop in Queen Street surely one of the most expensive places to do business tells us otherwise.  Winston's just continuing his Asian bashing.

This generation of Asian immigrants will ensure that their next generations will speak English. This is already obvious given the numbers graduating from university. In the meantime if we are interested,  we only need look in the shop window to see whether it sells aquapuncture, Peking duck, or Asian goods in their superb supermarkets. Go in and ask, don't complain. You don't have any reason to. My guess is that Kiwis are afraid of being outnumbered. Get over it. Maori did. An Asian majority is not too far away. What we should do is adapt to this "globalization." If you are irritated by the above picture you are going to have a hard time.

At Last-Tame Iti can get a life...

And he can sing that nursary rhyme we all learnt at Native School;

" Hey diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle; 

the cow jumped over the moon; 

the little dog laughed to see such fun;

 and the dish ran away with the spoon." 

That rhyme makes more sense than what's been happening for the last whatever number of years. It's a bit late for the Prosecutor on behalf of the Crown to say that they have stopped because of the cost. They should never have started if that was the case. Like the cat and the fiddle the Crown ie tax payer was diddled; the police tried jumping over the moon; those who retained their sanity laughed to see such fun; and Tame Iti ran away with the spoon. 

The US Marines Have Landed

In January I maintained that the US is the biggest raruraru in the world today in terms of military occupations, military bases and generally have by default become the new rulers of the world. Their strategy which seems to be in place regardless of their "Yes we can..." President, but not begun by him, is marching on regardless. It's obvious the "military-industrial complex" first expressed by former President Eisenhower a Republican is making huge profits from a massive military budget for those who produce the military hardware and these bases; occupying land in places like Italy, Okinawa Japan, and other places. The end of the cold war with Russia meant not peace, but more bases in countries occupied once by the Soviet Union. Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, a small colony of Britain was given to the US and the 2000 tangata whenua kicked out.The British Supreme Court has over-ruled all other judgements in favour of them.

This year so far they have set up in Darwin, Australia with at least 700 troops. How long before the tail starts to wag that dog? Waiouru became host to 70 US marines in military exercises. The secretary of the US "Homeland Security" vbisited to spread his brand of paranoia and claims that NZ and Australia are targets of terrorism. He leaves no evidence and obviously expects a response. I suspect that both governments have done a secret deal. His brand of toxic propoganda was on radio, but not on TV. Did I miss it? There was no questions about all of this in Parliament. Am I the paranoic one?

I don't think so. The US has about 250,000 military bases and installations in the world. Is Obama's new emphasis on the Asian-Pacific region going to mean more of their bases including NZ? Are we being set up? Given the imperial intentions of that nation since at least the end of WW2 I find it hard to believe that they won't at least ask NZ for a military base and the next thing nuclear weapons stationed here will become an issue like it was last time. Let's make it clear. We want nothing to do militarily with a country that has a human rights record in occupied countries, torture, and military crimes and human rights abuses as bad as theirs.

Mining As Political Paranoia

Ngati Kahu's Stance On Mining; A Media Beatup?

Dr. Mutu the Chair of the Ngati Kahu Runanga has threatened to kick mining interests off Ngati Kahu land. Apart from the fact that there's not a lot of it left and what there is is not under the Runanga's jurisdiction (yet!) the threat is nothing more than her usual grandstanding. The largest areas of land such as Rangiputa is still SOE land under claim by the said iwi just as soon as the Runanga claimants get their a into g. They also are attempting to link Carrington Farms Ltd land to this mining threat. The Dr. "won" a case against this company who were planning a subdivision near a former burial cave (Te Ana O Taitehe) only to be hit with an appeal a week later by the company and the FNDC. This was after they lost before a FNDC hearing and the Environment Court. That case is still pending, it's holding up the iwi's claim, and much of the iwi's time and resources have been spent on this ego trip also. 

Te Karere's report has her calling my tupuna's ana Te Ana O Taite. They have failed to correct it. It's not their fault however that they don't know that the ana was a burial ground but Tohunga and Anglican Maori Ministers lifted the tapu off this and other burial places on the Whatuwhiwhi-Karikari Peninsular in the 1870s once church style cemetaries were established. This enabled land use for stock on the open range, gum digging, and other activities otherwise hampered by "tapu."Incidentally in the litigation concerning the subdivision neither side could find this "ana." The High Court decision made no mention at all of it, and its judgement was based on an "agreement" between the Runanga and Carrington Farms Ltd concerning resource consents. This agreement managed to tramp on the mana whenua of both the marae and hapu. 

Our iwi rohe in fact was subject to copper mining by a Walter Brodie between 1839 and about 1845 at a place called Te Kapa. (Click map to enlarge. Brodie's OLC is visible) Fortunately for us it wasn't successful and only a hole in the ground was left. Mining is obviously of much interest and quite rightly there have been protests at Te Whanau A Apanui where oil exploration has begun at Ruakumara. However why is the Dr. jumping up and down allegedly on behalf of Ngati Kahu? Mining exploration licenses have been granted there some years ago but not taken up by the applicants. Finally she needs to be warned that should her dire prediction materialise, then the hapu affected will decide their response  unlike other decisions dictated by the Runanga in the past.