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Next week marks my 20th anniversary as an educator. In 1998 I began my teaching career as an English and Drama teacher at Rangitoto College. Twenty years and I still freakin' love this job and really do struggle to understand why more people are fighting to join us in what I believe is one of the most rewarding, challenging and bloody entertaining jobs and careers you can have. I also promised my critical friend Steve Mouldey that I would begin blogging again. His word/theme for the year is #optimistic , I've decided my word/theme for the year is #positivity. To this end I thought I'd celebrate my 20th teaching anniversary with a blog about the twenty reasons I believe teaching and education is the best career choice ever. 1) What we do is important There is no question. Being a teaching is one of the most important roles in our community. We are not only fantastic caretakers and babysitters for much of the year, we are also trusted to provide young people with the kn...

What we could learn from Estonia - AI Leap programme to bring AI tools to all schools

March 12, 2025

Image source What New Zealand Could Learn from Estonia’s Bold AI Leap in Education Estonia has done it again —pushing boundaries and proving that a small nation with a big vision can lead the world in digital education. Their latest initiative, AI Leap 2025, is a gutsy, all-in move to integrate artificial intelligence into their education system. And frankly, New Zealand should be paying close attention. As a school leader, I see AI sneaking into our classrooms whether we like it or not (spoiler: the kids are already using it whether we like it or not). The question is, will we, as an education system, harness AI’s potential, or will we fumble our way through while our students and some schools get ahead while others fall behind? Doubling down on an already alarming digital divide. Estonia’s approach offers some serious food for thought—so let’s break it down. From Tiger Leap to AI Leap—Where’s Our Big Leap? Back in the 1990s, Estonia’s Tiger Leap programme brought computers and the in...

Curriculum changes, Education Act amendments and the art of misdirection

October 10, 2024

It is interesting that exactly when school leaders up and down the country are grappling with an onslaught of curriculum changes there is a fundamental change to our education system being proposed. I suspect the timing is in partly due to the pace the current government likes to operate at, but part of me also wonders that proposing such significant changes exactly whilst school leaders are being absorbed by curriculum updates could also be by design. Is this coincidence or is it a classic case of misdirection?? Did you you know that we have until Monday 14th October to respond to proposed amendments to the Education Act that will fundamentally change what we are legislated to focus on and prioritise within our schools. The way the proposals and questions are laid out strike me as minimising what an absolutely fundamental shift we are about to be hit with. For example the removal of "giving effect to Te Tiriti' as a primary objective being sold as a "move" desig...