Week 26 - Current issues in my professional context

Week 26 - Current issues in my professional context

This week I have found blogging a bit easier. I have to admit I am not a blogger and this is taking me out of my comfort zone. With this said I have been critically analysing issues of socio-economic factors, school culture and professional environments in relation to my practice and my community. 

We are a low socioeconomic community but as a community and professionals, we do not use this as an excuse for any problems we may have. Thrupp (2006) states "Families from lower SES tend to have different relationships with school than the middle class" .Our ERO report in 2015 has reviewed our school as having "highly inclusive learning environments for students and families".  We believe in authentic and purposeful learning this should be differentiated and respectful of the learner, learning should be challenging and rewarding, learning should involve reflection and assessment and learning should reflect the different styles in which children learn. A feature of the school is the culture of high expectations, where all students are valued as competent and successful learners.

Our school’s motto is “We love to Learn “- “Kei te aroha matou ki te matauranga”. Our school’s mission statement is to develop in our children a love of learning enabling them to reach their potential as confident, contributing citizens.

 Our school’s values are respect, pride, perseverance and achievement. For past six years, our school has been part of the Ministry of Education initiative – Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L). Our School has developed this initiative into Growing Great Learners – Be Proud, Be Respectful and Be Safe. Each week we have a Growing Great Learners’ Focus, which has been informed, by student behavioural data. GGL (Growing Great Learners) has played a major influence in my teaching practice, as this is a major area, influencing relationships and achievements between staff, students and Whanau. "The valuing of relationships as the most important factor influences our students greatly. To understand this concept, is to understand that a student from a lower SES is going to place greater importance on the teacher student relationship, than they are going to on their schooling achievements” (Gargiulo, 2014, p. 17). 

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years” (http://www.ero.govt.nz/review-reports/james-street-school-21-10-2015/) 

 As professionals we were extremely delighted to get this four-to-five year review and teaching in a low socioeconomic community. It is very important that other communities understand that teaching in a lower socioeconomic community does not mean we do not provide an extremely high standard of teaching and professionalism. 

Our school successfully implements the 10 elements of Stolls (1998) "Norms of Improving Schools “We are continually reviewing and updating and questioning how can we improve? 

References:

ERO Report James Street School - 21/10/2015 Retrieved from:(http://www.ero.govt.nz/review-reports/james-street-school-21-10-2015

Gargiulo, S. (2014). Principal sabbatical report

Stoll. (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture

Trupp, (2006). Improving the schooling chances of New Zealand's poorest 

                         children: policy and community challenges.