"Today, there is more support in our schools for our tamariki but it's not necessarily the right support."
Ki te taha o tōku māmā
Ko Ngāti Kurī te iwi
Ko Kohuroa te maunga
Ko Rehua me Whitirea ngā moana
Ko Te Hiku o te Ika te Kaitiaki o te wāhi o Te Rerenga Wairua
Nō Ngāti Kurī ahau
Ki te taha o tōku pāpā
Ko Te Tao U te hapū
Ko Mahuhu-ki- te-rangi te waka
Ko Tauwhare te maunga
Ko Waipatukahu me Te Awaroa ngā awa
Ko Te Onepū o Rangatira, ko Kaipara, me Te Waitematā ngā moana
Ko Whiti te Rā o Rēweti, Ko Ngā Tai i Tūria ki te Marowhara, me Marowhara ngā marae
Ko Tuperiri te tupuna
Ko Uruamo te whānau
Ko Te Keti o Te Onepū o Rangatira te kāinga tūturu
I have been a learning support co-ordinator for Rotorua East Kahui Ako since early this year. Prior to this role I was a teacher for 29 years however, I felt it was time to step down and hand over to the next teaching generation.
My favourite part of being an educator is teaching and immersing in Kaupapa Māori in a Rumaki environment and conversing with tamariki and their whānau i te reo Māori.
I had an experience in my childhood that made me want to become a teacher. I knew from that point that I wanted better opportunities in education for tamariki who were going through a lot in their own homes and were not getting the most out of school.
Today, there is more support in our schools for our tamariki but it's not necessarily the right support. Our tamariki are coming to kura with a lot more emotional damage and behavioural issues that our kaiako are dealing with on a daily basis.
My role as a Learning Support Co-ordinator is about helping those tamariki and their kaiako get the right support they need in Rumaki and auraki. With the right support, you notice a change in behaviour and their learning when their needs are met.
I’ve experienced a lot with students who have embraced learning over time. One child I had taught in Rumaki had no reo and couldn't settle in an auraki environment. He found school to be a challenge. But with Kaiarahi support and a change towards a normal classroom program, l implemented more hands on for him with 1 to 1 support, got him and his whānau involved in noho marae and made an effort to record his stories. With daily consistency, he had a willingness to korero Māori, interacted with others and was present each day at kura.