by ELV Give this guy a medal...oh wait he already has one! For nearly two years we've been told New Zealand education has one big problem. Teachers just weren't teaching the right way. It was all too "balanced". Added to that, the curriculum was too vague and assessment wasn't rigorous enough. The science was being ignored. (Cue stamping feet and an exaggerated pout.) The solution, we were assured, was obvious. Rewrite the curriculum (several times over). Better still, get it internationally...

by ELV Sometimes an email from a stranger jogs your memory about all of the promises, the redirected funds and the wonderful things that were supposed to happen for children as a result of jobs being defunded and specialist services being dismantled. This particular email reminded me that reality doesn't seem to fit the story we've been told. Last year the Government asked us to trust them. They told us significant funding would be redirected into Learning Support, bringing expertise closer...

by Rebecca Thomas Sometimes, when you've spent nearly thirty years in classrooms, you begin to wonder whether you're the one who's finally lost the plot. Every now and then, when every Ministry update celebrates another mandated resource. Another programme or assessment tool with a promise that this will finally fix education. Even stubborn teachers like me have moments where we quietly question ourselves. Have I missed something? Am I romanticising the past? Is this really what good teaching...