Whakatauki...

"Ka mimiti te puna i Taumārere Ka toto te puna i Hokianga, Ka toto te puna i Taumārere, Ka mimiti te puna i Hokianga."
"When the fountain of Taumārere is empty, The fountain of Hokianga is full. When the fountain of Taumārere is full, The fountain of Hokianga is empty."

This whakatauki was told to me by my father who is of Ngapuhi desent. In a nutshell it represents the alliance between the Tai tama tāne (West) and Tai tama wahine (East) coasts of our whenua. Their fortunes are intertwined and one affects the other.

I liken this to my philosophy on teaching. As a teacher you recieve knowledge and you give knowledge. You learn as much from others as they learn from you. So the two are intertwined and one affects the other as the whakatauki recalls.

I can also relate my philosophy to a song! "Ta koha mai e, Ta koha atu...Te Aroha Te Mauri Ora" The giving and recieving of something. In this case knowledge. Ill let you figure out the tune!! ;)

Whats so special about me?

Hhhmmmmmmmmmmmmm......

As the saying goes: 

Kāore te Kumara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka! The Kumara does not speak of how sweet he is!

I think this proverb accentuates the value of humbleness!!

BUT as this is a requirement ill try to express myself the best i can!

If we are referring to teaching here, what makes me special is what makes every other teacher or wanna be teacher special! We ALL have the desire to shape and mould our next generation into amazing young people. "Ki te kahore he whakakitenga ka ngaro te iwi" "Without foresight or vision the people will be lost"

My vision and passion is to implement tikanga māori into our mainstream schooling system so our māori students have the foresight and vision to learn to their fullest potential and so all Tauiwi can appreciate and recognise that tikanga māori is not only beneficial for māori but for all people of this whenua.

So Whats so special about me? I am māori, I am passionate about the advancement of my people and i will not stop until this kaupapa has been strongly embedded in our mainstream school system!

Mauri Ora...

My opinion on teaching continued....

While on Prac i had a chance meeting with an amazing, strong, confident māori women. As i sat and observed her interaction with the students, i realised i could be more than just a teacher that implemented the curriculum! In a space of 10mins this women inspired me hugely. She asked me "Why do you want to be a teacher?" To which i replied "Because my mum is a teacher". She then asked me the question again. It was at this moment i started to think about the true answer to this question. "WHY DO I WANT TO BE A TEACHER?" I have heard so many horror stories! (Late nights, no social life, no time for anything really!) My whole life my mother has been dedicated to teaching, which meant she always had her nose stuck in the books or writing reports and so on. Did i really want this for myself?
As i sat and contemplated my answer, i thought about my own experiences at school. I remember the teachers being grumpy old farts that didn't even notice if i was there or not. The lessons were boring and the subjects irrelevant. I felt like i was just a number. And i couldn't wait to turn 15 so i could leave! Most of my peers dropped out or didn't pass school c.
I didn't see Whaea Pat again. I hope i get the chance to tell her, im going to be a teacher so i can change the thinking of our māori people. Help them realise they are not just a number! I know this can be done by following the beliefs and values i was bought up with because i see the implementation of these in my own children and how it helps them.
Respect for ones self and those around you, Manaakitanga helping each other and offering support, Whanaungatanga is a sense of belonging by getting to know each other, Aroha caring for one another. Whakapapa is important too. We need to know where we came from to move forward with confidence and pride.
If all these values were implemented in the classroom environment i believe students would be able to see the relevance of learning and how they can apply it.
MAURI ORA......

How i look at teaching...

In my opinion!

We are ALL Teachers! As human beings on this earth we learn from each other. Our actions and words are teaching someone something! Weather they are good things or bad things we have to remember there is always someone watching and hearing everything we do and say. Unless of course you live under a rock!!
As a parent it is my job to teach my children everything!! And where does that "everything" come from? The teachings my parents handed down to me. The morals and ethics they installed in me are what i emulate to my children and those of my future students. Like Whaea Te Auta said "My whakapapa, culture, values and beliefs" will always play apart in how i teach and learn.

I think the most important elements of teaching are creating a warm and caring environment for the learner. As māori we always manaaki first. This is one of the values i have been brought up with and will take with me through my teaching/learning journey.

TO BE CONTINUED.....