Simon is the Principal of Governor’s Bay School in Canterbury. Having already had an article published in Interface magazine this year, Simon is clearly no shrinking violet when it comes to sharing the good news he’s encountered in education – the sort of person whose voice we could certainly benefit from hearing more from.
As the year comes to a close it is a good time to reflect on the last twelve months and what has been achieved. One highlight for me is the journey we have been on in developing our school into what we, and the wider community would like. Last year our Board went through a re-visioning process with the help of Al Fone as the facilitator. We came up with an exciting vision of ‘Aspirational Teaching and Learning through Creativity and Diversity’. Over the last year a lot of work has gone into how to bring this vision to reality. At the last meeting The Board approved ‘The Leader in Me’ process which is based on ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.’
‘The Leader in me’ is a process in place in almost 2,000 schools around the world and the results are supported by independent research undertaken by such institutes as John Hopkins University. Its effectiveness is also recognised by educators such as Sir Ken Robinson.
As a school we are able to embark on this process due to the flexibility offered by the New Zealand Curriculum and the autonomy around the way in which this is delivered.
Having visited schools delivering ‘The Leader in Me’ process it was interesting to note the lack of freedom these schools had in the delivery of their curriculum and it made me appreciate all the more what we have here in New Zealand.
I’m very excited to be leading the first school in New Zealand to undertake this process and I am looking forward to what it can offer our children. Part of this excitement is around the space I have to do this, from an open curriculum document to a supportive board. Of course there are always going to be areas of a system we struggle with but on the whole the education system we have, works. Our education system is unique and I count myself as fortunate to be a part of it.