Island Bay

So i've spent the last 3 days going to schools introducing myself to principals, dropping off CVs, and expressing a general interest in relief teaching (subbing for those of the CDN persuasion). Children and teachers are awesome everywhere but i was a little shocked at how barren some of the classes i've seen are.

i mean i came out of teacher's college being hammered into the idea that "print rich" environments were the way to teach. it was balanced literacy, student work, diagrams, word walls, etc.

so today i went to see Island Bay school...PLEASE GOD I WANT A JOB THERE!

ok lets go back a step. first off the classes are beautiful, full of fun stuff both student created and educational. 2nd off, organic garden of native plants...which leads into the specialized art teacher who takes each class for two solid days a term and does art using said native plants and animals.

they do swimming lessons as part of school curriculum, swimming! they have a nice library, the school is built over 3 different areas due to the hills which sounds complicated but its so nice and breezy and open, nothing cramped. the town of island bay itself is pretty, its older home but unlike some neighbourhoods its well maintained and lots of plantings and trees.

oh did i mention its a community of artists. it turns out that NZ curriculum basically states that the community chooses what the children should learn, then the teachers incorporate it as much as they can into science, language, math, etc. so in a community of artists its no surprise that they want their kids to experience it in as many mediums as possible. one class was making designs for/and cutting out material for soft toys...did i mention they were all 7 years old?

i could go on and on. island bay is definitely the suburb that has impressed me the most. i'm going to throw blaise onto a bus and bring him down there today or tomorrow, he has to see this place.