Book review: The Bright Side of my Condition by Charlotte Randall

The Bright Side of my Condition was a finalist in the Fiction category of the 2014 New Zealand Post Book Awards.

https://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2014/08/06/book-reviewbook-review-the-bright-side-of-my-condition-by-charlotte-randall/ 

“Maybe next time I get it right.  Forget special.  Next time I come back as a whalefish breathing steady in the lovely deeps.”  So speaks Bloodworth, convict-narrator of Charlotte Randall’s The Bright Side of my Condition.  And Randall indeed seems to be grappling with just that - what is the point of our brief human lives?  When we eventually shuffle off this mortal coil, should we be remembered for, or remember ourselves as ‘special’, or should our successes instead be measured by the twin metric of beauty and enjoyment?  As Bloodworth muses, the penguins know:

... their useless stumpy wings that don’t fly, their duck feet that don’t walk, their bodies jes a starchy morning suit, but look how they contrive to free their selfs from their limits and enjoy their lives.

Look how they grin, he says.  

Randall writes her first person narrative as the man of the time would speak.  The opening sections bloom with ‘I dint say a word’ and ‘I’m Bloodworth.  It aint a name I ever heared of before it were thrust upon me.’  This jars, to begin with.  But as the story progresses, it quickly becomes a an obviously strong narrative voice.  Bloodworth is hard to like, but he must have grown on me - the surreal change of form at the end of the book left me caring for his fate, and I was surprised by this.  He is not really a likeable character, but is richly imagined.  More importantly, his experience is an allegorical tale that explores issues of existentialism, freedom and choice. “And yer have to ask,” says Bloodworth, “... what even were I brung here for?  Jes to walk alone across these cliffs?”

In three parts, the novel addresses ‘The Early Years’, ‘The Middle Years’, and ‘Eternity’ of the experiences of four convicts who escaped from Norfolk Island onto a sealing ship.  The ship did not have enough food to feed the crew and the convicts, and so they were discharged onto one of The Snares, a group of subantarctic islands 200 kilometres from the South Island of New Zealand.  The collective area of these islands equate to 3.5 kilometres squared.  If it sounds foreboding and harsh, it is.  The experiences of the four men are of the environment, each other and the self, for that is all there really is.  Seals are murdered for their skins, and these skins hid away and counted as a measure of time passing.  Interactions between Bloodworth, Gargantua, Toper and Slangam are brutal and bitchy.  Imagine being stuck on an inhospitable island with three other law-breakers; a sack of potatoes, rice and rum the only provisions; the promise of rescue at least a year away.  There is little to hope for except rescue.  At least in a prison, your sentence, you would presume, would end.  Here, on the island, the reader already knows that rescue is actually a decade away. And then what?

Gargantua believes he will be delivered as a hero to the literary circles of England, and that the story he has to tell of the experience will define him as ‘special’.  Toper seems a bit stupid - his religion and natural inclination to follow rather than lead make him a prime candidate for manipulation.  Slangam sees himself as boss, and so it is.  Bloodworth eventually sours of interaction and heads out alone to a cave, rejecting company for penguin and albatross watching, and internal philosophising.  ‘The Early Years’ and ‘The Middle Years’ follow these internal and external journeys.

It is in ‘Eternity’ that things dramatically change.  We still have our narrator, but he has been thrown off a cliff and is slowly falling to his death. This is the smallest section of the book - 30 pages - but the most interesting as far as form goes.  Randall has said that the idea of someone slowly falling to death is what prompted her writing The Bright Side of my Condition, and that this fitted well with the true historical story of the four Norfolk Island convicts. It is a surprising turn to what is, up to that point, a comfortable and fairly straightforward narrative.  Bloodworth’s ‘eternal death’ seems to, perversely, happen quickly.  He narrates the arrival of Captain Coffin and the rescue of the remaining three men.  Things end as they start - the bickering and bitching continues, with all three trying to convince Coffin of the necessity of Bloodworth’s death.

And what of Bloodworth?  As he falls and dies, he continues to grapple with the exquisite pain of living.  At one point he asks: “But were there more of a plan for me? … Were I made special for a special life?”  Randall’s response comes through words that swell from Bloodworth’s pre-convict life: “Living do the making.”  We are as we choose to live, so choose to live wisely.

Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival 2015: H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald with Damien Barr

The Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival was on in May; I wrote some reviews on events.  I'm putting these up here now. If you would like to read the original articles, you can access this one at: 

https://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2015/05/09/dunedin-writers-and-readers-festival-h-is-for-hawk-helen-mcdonald-with-damien-barr/

Damien Barr has the most delightful Scottish accent, and so it was rather pleasant listening to him ask questions of Helen Macdonald  (right) , who recently won the Costa Prize for her memoir on falconry and grief, H is for Hawk. Goshawks and grief – an unusual combination, perhaps, but one which, when explained by Macdonald, made perfect sense. Her belief is that, whilst turning to nature can be healing, it is also a reflection of ourselves – we project needs, wants, morals, and, in Macdonald’s case, grief, out into the wild. That’s a lot of pressure on nature. But not really, because that, in and of itself, insinuates that nature can be pressured.

Macdonald talked about the distance needed to write the book after her father’s death. She noted that some writers can write whilst immersed in grief, but for her, the distance was not only necessary but also essential and fundamental. It’s hard to imagine a wild-haired Macdonald hiding behind couches to avoid human contact, feeling as if she were as wild a thing as a goshawk. Hard because Macdonald appears so utterly human – warm, friendly and funny – but also because imagining a fellow human suffering such grief is a hard thing.

Toitu is a fitting venue for an event like this. The open spaces above and the floor-to-ceiling glass windows offer warmth and quiet that complement reflection – they are the perfect surroundings for contemplating the many ways in which we find our way back to humanity when it feels like we might be lost in the dark.

Reviewed by Lara Liesbeth

Presentation on MLE to staff 12 October 2015

My notes:

Slide 2: 
Provocation!  I was running yesterday and listening to this podcast and thought this sat pretty well with what I’m presenting to you today. What do you think?

Slide 3:

These are some photos I took of the school.  It was completed in 2013.  It’s a PPP (public private partnership) which means that the company that built it is responsible for maintenance and ensuring it does what they said it will do.  Maurie Abraham, principal of the Secondary School, therefore spends his time on aspects of teaching and learning rather than capital concerns. Hobsonville Point Primary School was built at the same time and is 100 metres down the road.  The two schools work together and have one Board of Trustees.  More information at: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/all/files/Hobsonville%20School%20Public%20Private%20Partnership%20Q%20and%20A.pdf

Slide 4:

This is the main entrance and cafe. Pretty cool!

Slide 7: 
The physical space is seductive, I have to admit. It’s very new and shiny.  But the message is very clear: it’s not about the new space (although it’s lovely).

Slide 8: 
The discussion is more around the way we view student agency.  Should we have bells? Why? Should we stay in classrooms (cells) all day? Why? Why only an hour per ‘learning activity’ (or whatever you want to call it).

Slide 10: 
Maurie Abraham talked a lot about the ‘silo’ing of subjects.  At HPSS, teachers are teamed up across curriculum areas and team teach.  Steve Mouldey, a learning leader at HPSS, has blogged about this: https://stevemouldey.wordpress.com/2015/05/07/developing-coteaching-hpss-style/

Slide 11: 
Term 1 timetable 2014.

Slide 18:

I was really limited by the confines of the conference (BYOD) and couldn’t/didn’t ask many questions around these things.  What it did do for me was start a whole heap of questions about education which I explored and continue to explore in my own time online.

One thing about the learning hubs - as much time spent in these as a conventional class (nearly 4 hours a week by the latest timetable).  A commitment to 15 students MAXIMUM.

Slide 20:

So why do I care and why do I think we should all care?  The ERO Wellbeing Report focuses in on the huge pressures and expectations of the current system (some might say ‘of assessment’).

I think Maurie is right - we need to be worried about the recent ERO report on student wellbeing.  And that’s without even considering teacher wellbeing!

Slide 22: 
But Hobsonville is not the only one attempting change.  Here’s an example from another school.  Again, there’s that theme of it NOT being about the physical environment.

Slide 23:
Even more ‘modern’!  Or sensible? Or radical? Or wonderful? Or ridiculous?  There is power in the adjective! One thing is for sure: all questions should start with ‘why’. 

Burn the books! Burn the books! Burn the books and save our children! A (sort of) letter to Ted Dawe

Dear Ted,

Hi, Ted Dawe.  High school teacher of many, many years.  Writer.  Father.  Husband.  Human being. Oh Ted, we have a lot in common.  Obviously I'll never be a husband, but I've been teaching teenagers for 6 years now.  And I'm the parent of a nearly-16 year old.  I like to write a little bit (in fact, truth be known, I would like to write a lot more)and I'm pretty sure we are both human beings.  LOL!  

But seriously, Ted, being human is what it's all about,don't ya think?  Don't you think that teaching and writing is about helping others to try and find their humanity in some way? I think it's about story, identity, meaning and finding ways to communicate those things (so does the English curriculum, by the way.  But I'm sure you know that already, Ted.  You've been teaching teenagers English for a gazillion years). We all have a need to find who we are and to connect with others.  That's what makes us human.  

I'm pretty stoked that there are people like you out there, writing books, hanging out with teenagers, trying to teach them (for, let's be honest, Ted.  From one teacher to another, sometimes try is all we can do), tackling the big issues and refusing to mutter 'damn youth of today.  In my day ...' (continue the ellipsis; fill in the gap). Teenagers need mentors, and sometimes parents just don't cut it.  Teachers offer mentorship that may work for some.  And isn't that what we're trying to do, Ted? Save one starfish at a time, if we can? Throw it back in the ocean? Send a ripple out on the pond? Make a diffference?

I'm in awe of anyone who can get anything else done whilst maintaining a solid teaching practice.  My heroes are people like you, Ted.  Writers who teach.  Writers who get up at 4 am to get down their creative ideas before heading to school to teach. Art teachers who paint/photograph/print-make/etch etcetera before heading to school and attempting to direct the tsunami of 120 teenagers asking 'what are we doing today, sir/miss?' (even when it's been made clear for days on end - from one teacher to another, one must laugh). YOU are my hero.

I have a little story for you, Ted.  I'll call it an anecdote - it's not very long, and it's point not that strong, but it's relevant.  In my first year of teaching, 2010, I gained employment at a small, rural Area school on the east coast of the North Island.  About 45 kilometres north of Gisborne, Ted.  I was the sole English teacher.  God knows how I thought I was going to survive (a first year teacher? The only one at the school in my subject area? Let's just say, I'm a dreamer, and I hope I'm not the only one).  It was a sink-or-swim situation, with the last English teacher leaving with the words trailing in her wake: 'Good luck.  You'll need it.' LOL again, indeed, Ted!  It certainly was a cliched trial by fire, that's for sure. 85% of my students were Maori - mostly Ngati Porou.  Most were living below the poverty line.  And a lot didn't know that marijuana was illegal (especially the younger ones that I didn't teach - it was an Area school). Most were heading for the sad destiny of unemployment in a small place called home, and many girls were pregnant at 16.  'Sweet - set for life!' said one to me.  A sad thing, indeed.  Anyway, when I arrived at this school, I went through the resources (as you do.  For that question never goes away - 'what are we doing today, miss?').  Neatly stacked was 'No Fear Shakespeare', 'The Whalerider' and a perfect set of 'Thunder Road'.  I hadn't read it, but I did, and I liked it.  I wasn't enlightened enough to teach using the text in the year I was up there, but I did find out that it was a previous teacher (only there for one year) who had bought the set for the students.  If I could have my time again, Ted, I would be teaching that first up.  But retrospect is a fine thing, I suppose. That was the first time I heard of you. I didn't know you were a teacher yourself, and had possibly experienced what I was experiencing that year.  I didn't know that's probably why you wrote the book.

To risk cliche myself: fast forward to 2013.  Controversy strikes New Zealand! Some dude has the temerity to write about real experiences of real teenagers in a very real New Zealand! Shock! Horror! Save us! Now! That dude, of course, was you, Ted.  You wrote a very real story about a character who comes into contact with very many very real things.  Well, that's how I saw it (The East Coast was fresh in my mind). Not only did you get up at 5 am to write (that was the picture in my head) before heading to the chalkface, but you self-published to get the story out - so much did you believe in the story and the need for it to be told.  I am certain that money came directly out of your pocket to get this one onto the streets.  I am still in awe, and you are awesome.

And then, the award! Excellent! Bernard Beckett and co. rewarded your excellent writing with accolades and attention! That must've felt amazing, Ted, after bleeding and sweating out the words and paying the printers from your own pocket.  A moment of pure clarity and joy, I imagine: 'THIS has made it worth it'.  But possibly, probably not as much as knowing that teenagers would now be more likely to read the text, and some out there might just discover they are not alone. But, of course, you know that the moment of joy, the moment basking in the sun was to be short-lived. The fun police arrived.

The restriction, the debate, the ridiculous discussions around the 'filth', the 'C-word' and the hazardous effect of 'Into the River' on our young ones. I hadn't yet, so I promptly went out and bought a copy of your book - not only because my interest had been piqued, but also because I wanted to stand in solidarity with you.  I wanted to support you, financially, emotionally; granted, from a very far distance, but still.  You do what you can.  I bought the book.  I read it.  I liked it; I imagined students from that small town on the East Coast of the North Island, 45 kilometres north of Gisborne, possibly reading the book.  I wondered whose life would be changed with the reflection of their lives in your words.  I hoped.

Years passed, Ted.  I received an email from the head of NZATE (I'm sure you know, but that's the New Zealand Association of Teachers of English) asking for submissions from English teachers on 'Into the River'.  She asked, if we had read it, could we put down an educated opinion? The email from the Classifications office looked like this:

The Classification Office is seeking expert assistance from education groups and has contacted you regarding  the reconsideration of the classification of the book Into The River by Ted Dawe. If you know of anyone else who would be able to provide comment please pass on this email.  We would appreciate any comments by the 24^th July.

A brief background is provided below.

Into The River  tells the story of a young boy of Maori and Spanish ancestry, Te Arepa Santos. He is born and raised in a fictional East Coast village, but wins a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school in Auckland. The book centres around his experiences in his first two years at the school where he is academically successful, but as a result of a series of poor decisions ends up expelled.

In 2013, we the Classification Office classified this book as Unrestricted: Suitable for mature audiences 16 years of age and over. This meant anyone could read it but it was more suitable for a mature audience.

Part of the reasons for this decision were:  

The book deals with some stronger content.  There are sexual relationships between teenagers, encounters with possible child sexual exploitation, the use of illegal drugs and other criminal activities, violent assault, and a moderate level of highly offensive language.   These are well contextualised within an exciting fast moving narrative that has as its protagonist, a young teenage Maori boy from a rural community who is finding his way through the strange uncomfortable environment of a boys’ boarding school and unfamiliar social mores. 

There are many other novels widely available without restriction in New Zealand with similar sexual descriptions of an equivalent nature, many of them literary classics and coming of age novels, or popular fiction phenomena in their own right.  This would make a restriction on 'Into The River' arbitrary and unfair.  It would create a widespread inconsistency in conditions of access to books of this nature.  Concerns about children or young persons are adequately addressed by a classification indicating the book's suitability for mature audiences and a label that indicates sexual content.

Our decision was appealed by the group Family First. The Film and Literature Board of Review classified the book as R14 meaning it is restricted to persons 14 years and over. The Board stated:

There are scenes in the book that are powerful and disturbing, and in the opinion of the Board run a real risk of shocking and disturbing young readers.  Whilst those aged 14 and above are likely to have a level of maturity that enables them to deal with this, those below the age of 14 may not.

The book has now been submitted to us for a reconsideration of the R14 classification and we are seeking information from expert groups to help us.  

In particular we are interested in the following questions:

·         Are there books of similar nature/content used in the school curriculum? Or generally available?  

·         What age group would a book like this target?

·         Do you think this book would greatly shock and disturb readers under 14 years of age?

·         Would this book be used in school ? and for what age group?

Thank you for your time, any comments would be of great assistance to the Classification Office. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.     

It was signed by Nic McCully, Deputy Chief Censor at the Office of Film and Literature Classification.

I must say, Ted, I was pretty stoked to be able to finally have a say.  So I wrote the following in support of the removal of the restriction on 'Into the River'. You see, Ted, quite apart from the fact that I think your book is excellent writing and important in content, I don't believe in the censorship of books.  That's happened in the past, in other countries in particular, and it never ends well.  So I wrote this (now, when I look at it, I wish I'd written more, but retrospect, and all that):

Are there books of similar nature/content used in the school curriculum? Or generally available? 

Yes!  Perhaps not taught as part of the curriculum, but certainly available as personal reading material, or as part of a personal reading programme.  Other books that come to mind: Go Ask Alice by Anonymous; The Lazy Boys by Carl Shuker; Forever by Judy Blume ...

·         What age group would a book like this target?
13 up, but, of course, there are students who would enjoy it younger and older, depending on individual circumstance.

·         Do you think this book would greatly shock and disturb readers under 14 years of age?
No.  It is a well-written, thoughtful book and all 'challenging' material is contextualised.

·         Would this book be used in school ? and for what age group?

I would be disappointed if students were not allowed access to this as I think it depends on individual circumstances and maturity as to whether it was appreciated.  This should not be restricted. 

Sanity prevailed.  At least momentarily. This statement of freedom was issued in August:

 But, ah, Ted it was a short-lived sanity.  Sense did not prevail.  And here we are now, with your most excellent book banned - the first in 22 years, I hear. We should be ashamed of ourselves. This was the first I heard of the ban, thanks to our school librarian (going off on a tangent here for a moment - what about those librarians, Ted? Aren't they amazing? Those defenders of freedom and expression.  I love them.  My mum is one of them):

It seems to me that this statement is about a million miles from the last statement.  Ted, they went from this:

Having re-examined the book, and considered the submissions and other information received, the Classification Office still finds that a restricted classification would be unreasonable, and therefore inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression. While the book deals with some challenging material, including sex, drug use, and violence, it does not do so in a way that is likely to cause injury to the public good. Given the value of the book as a resource for young New Zealand audiences, particularly boys, a restriction of any sort makes it unnecessarily difficult for the intended audience to access the book. The unrestricted classification reflects the informed advice received from individuals and groups with significant experience and expertise in relevant matters. The Classification Office is confident that the suitability of the book for younger readers can best be determined by libraries, schools and parents.

... to the above.  In 20 DAYS.  

SLANZA (the School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa) used evocative words such as 'shocking' and 'draconian' when describing 'what effectively constitutes a total ban'. Bibliotecarios vivas largos! 
 

I hope, Ted, that you feel really supported by librarians. And teachers. And the general public. It's hard to know what to do as a citizen when such a thing happens.  Protest? Discuss? Write? I'm trying all three. I have talked to 14 years olds.  I've talked to 17 year olds.  I've held structured discussions about censorship in class, thanks to this event (a silver lining?) I've yet to find a student who agrees with the ban.  

I also hope that this embarrassing incident (embarrassing for New Zealand, that is) earns you lots of money.  I hope you sell heaps of books.  I hope a new precedent is set - not one where books with sex and the 'c' word and the 'f' word and drug use are banned, but one where teenagers are given the credit they deserve in the selection and consumption of literature. And, Ted, I think I'll leave the last word to a participant of your recent Reddit Q and A - succinct and to the point:

"I remember when I was in elementary school, we all wanted to read Harry Potter.  But these dense f***ers literally didn't allow us to get the books from the library. They were only for kids older than 12.  Talk about missing an opportunity.  You got little kids begging to read and you tell them no. F***ers."

Yours sincerely,

Lara Liesbeth




http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/355310/silent-protest-over-book-ban


http://www.dunedintv.co.nz/news/dozens-protest-temporary-ban-new-zealand-book

Why I love living in Dunedin

 

There might come a day when I want to move on from this lovely city, but at the moment, my heart belongs to Dunedin.  And it has for 13 years.  I'm from Christchurch, I've lived a year in Tolaga Bay/Uawa (north of Gisborne) and have travelled a wee bit (but not much and certainly not as much as I want to). Dunedin has something special.  It's a city, but it's small.  It has definite seasons (something I found I loved when living in T-Bay, because there weren't really any). 

Dunedin is ace.  Thanks Adrienne for documenting the things I love about this place.



http://dunedinisforlovers.blogspot.co.nz/2015/08/dunedinite-profile-magical-world-of-lara.html

http://dunedinisforlovers.blogspot.co.nz/?view=magazine

When you win an award for teaching ...

 

 

It is a weird thing indeed. Teachers tend to go about their day to day business trying to engage and stimulate the minds of young people (one would hope we have these lofty goals, anyway!) It was very surprising to apply for and receive one of four New Zealand Spelling Bee Awards for Teachers.

I'm very grateful.  I'm looking forward to exploring what other schools do with curriculum; writing in particular.  I really want to visit John Marsden's schools just out of Melbourne, but I have no idea if that's a goer or just a pie-in-the-sky dream; his secondary school doesn't open until next year.  Both Candlebark and the latter have very different structures than most schools - writing for one will be a core subject at the new arts-focused secondary school.

It was interesting reading one perspective on writing as a core subject here.  I can understand how English teachers see themselves as readers over writers - writing is hard!  Reading is (mostly) all pleasure.  I've always tried to keep writing to model this practice for my students as I agree that teachers should be modelling what they want students to be doing themselves.

How exciting it is to think that school could support a life in arts in this way!

http://www.spellingbee.co.nz/teacher-awards

For those who are interested, here's my application. It's been edited a little bit to take out some names and specifics that are unnecessary in this format.

The Spelling and Language initiative

The English document in the New Zealand Curriculum is surprising, to some, in its expectations.  The first paragraph is headed ‘What is English about?’ and the very first sentence states that the subject is about ‘the study, use and enjoyment of the English language and its literature …’ (italics added).  Enjoyment? At school? In English, no less?  Whilst this is an unusual and hefty ask (English is the only curriculum area that lists ‘enjoyment’ as a criteria) it is this statement that has inspired me in the creation of my English courses.  In this explanation, I will focus particularly on the language initiative that I have developed over the five years I have spent in teaching in Dunedin.  In particular, I will explain what is happening in my Year 9 programme to foster a love of words, and spelling, in my new-to-high-school students.

Students, by nature of age and inclination, want to have fun. Most would endorse the use of the word ‘enjoyment’ in the New Zealand Curriculum.  And yet many find that high school, in particular, starts to stifle a sense of fun that is perhaps still present at primary and intermediate schools.  I think that enjoyment comes from freedom and space to create and be creative.  Even as adults, we flourish when creative freedom is endorsed.  Being allowed the time to create and, critically, evaluate is imperative to a student’s growth of skill and enjoyment in both language use and mechanical understandings – including spelling.

Lara Liesbeth’s initiative – what it involves

Year 9 students at our school have four periods of English a week.  One period is a library period, in which reading and book discussions are prioritised and valued.  Whilst this is not in any way my initiative, it adds to the sense of freedom and enjoyment I am trying to nurture in my Year 9 programme.  The support of the school is crucial. 

For the three periods a week we have together in the classroom, I start every lesson with free writing or reading.  Thus, choice is immediately offered – a crucial aspect of freedom and enjoyment. Generally, 75% of the class will choose to write.  Those that do not are still engaging in ‘the use and enjoyment of the English language’, as stated in the Curriculum.  These readers are involved in the second phase of the initiative.  Approximately 20 minutes is given to this – 10 silently writing and 10 discussing.  This discussion phase is the critical component of the language initiative. 

After 10 minutes writing, students are given the choice to read their work aloud.  At the start of the year, there is a little shyness about this, but after two or three weeks, students learn, through repetition (because this is happening every lesson, without fail) and modelling from other students (ako) that my room is a safe space and sharing is exciting and – that word again – fun.

As students share their work, all other students are actively listening.  I am constantly impressed with how interested and supportive fellow students are of those who share their writing. At the beginning of the year, I am the main commentator on the shared work.  I will pick one, sometimes two, clear and critical decisions or techniques that are enhancing the work.  This may be a language technique, or a choice of vocabulary.  It may be a plot device, or a narrative strand.  It all depends on the writing that is offered up in that moment, in that class.  The students are exposed to this key literacy technique of ‘thinking aloud’, as articulated in Effective Literacy Strategies in Years 9-13: a teacher’s guide (81).  In this guide, the strategy of shared reading (reading with and talking with students) is examined in the context of unfamiliar texts.  My initiative is all about the close reading of unfamiliar texts; for when students share their work, other students are immediately exposed to an unfamiliar text.  The beautiful thing is that there is a real sense of ownership from the student who is sharing – they produced the unfamiliar text for the class to evaluate.  Effective Literacy Strategies states that ‘… when students enjoy learning and believe in their own … abilities, they are likely to engage with their texts.’ (55).  Note that, again, fun and enjoyment is discussed as a fundamental touchstone of language and language learning.  To model this, I also write book reviews regularly and blog on the experience of teaching (Liesbeth, “Time to change how we educate”).

As the year progresses, students become braver, and most will eventually share their work.  Not only this, but students also start to critically evaluate other students work in a safe environment.  Evaluation is a crucial thinking skill in Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive processes (“Effective Literacy Strategies” 94). When we ‘read between the lines’, we are ‘using information to make judgments or form opinions; (we) justify, assess, decide; (we ask) what is best …? What do you think …?’ (Ibid) Thus, literacy (including spelling mastery, or at the very least, improvement) is enhanced.

The measurement of the effectiveness of this programme is necessarily enigmatic.  Text and meaning are both co-created in the classroom in each specific lesson.  The ‘magic’ of words and literature and language is shared and co-constructed between student and student, and student and teacher.  Anecdotal evidence and formative assessment that suggests learning is most definitely occurring.  When I see my Year 9 students hotly debating why ‘focussing’ should have one or two s’s; why onomatopoeia is the best technique to use in THAT sentence in THAT piece of writing, I can assess that love of language, words and (through whole learning) spelling is happening.  When students are given real situations in which their work matters, learning and, yes, fun, happens.  And I think, as our Curriculum suggests, that’s what it’s all about.

Lara Liesbeth

Works cited 

Liesbeth, Lara. Time to change how we educate. http://timetochangehowweeducate.blogspot.co.nz/. Web. 1 July 2015.

Ministry of Education. Effective Literacy Strategies in Years 9-13: a teacher’s guide. Wellington: Learning Media, 2004. Print.

The New Zealand Curriculum online. Te Kete Ipurangi, http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum/Learning-areas/English. Web. 1 July 2015.

Part of the Otago Daily Times article on this prize. There are three other national recipients.

Student Survey

I decided to ask students in my city (my son is high school age, so it was easily disseminated!) to comment anonymously on their experience of school.  Two questions asked for comments, and I thought I'd share the voices of these teenagers.  

It's just a snapshot at this stage, and I haven't edited. I think it's a great reminder that, as high school teachers, most of the 20-30 students in front of us every hour of every day have valid views and are able to make astute observations about the way they spend their time at school.

Do you think high school is structured as well as it could be?

Often don't get enough sleep.

I hate it. Six hours is far too long, and one hour per period is not long enough to concentrate.

I think there is too much pressure on students at level 12, and there is no time to actively function as a person, learning for learning's sake. Instead everything is about passing internals and externals. I love to learn, but this year I feel like it is not about learning, it is only about passing.

A break later in the day (earlier lunch and afternoon tea) I feel like that would make students more productive as most people work better in the morning and slump in the afternoon.

I think improvement can be made. Teachers just talking in front of the class is boring and can decrease student's attention span. 

But sometimes the timing can get confusing, like the bell will ring to swap class when in the middle of something important.

It is quite nice to be able to move at least once an hour because if you have to say sitting for longer than that it gets really annoying.

I don't think many classes are structured in an interesting way, more towards the teachers convenience, but saying that some teachers are very good.

I think it's really good to have different classes and move around because that way you aren't stuck in the same class with the same people all week.

The structure is good - 1 hour is a good length of time for each class, not too tiring but I'd rather not have to move too much.

It's good that you have a break in between the classes, where you can wake up.

Sometimes I'm in the zone and then the bell rings, which is a pain.

I think schools should start at a later time. So students can wake up later and be more awake at school as they are currently. Also I think breaks between terms should be 3 weeks long instead of 2 just so students have a longer time to recuperate and be more ready for the next term and give teachers more time to prepare new lessons for students.

HAVING TO WAKE UP EARLY WHEN OUR BODIES ARE PROGRAMMED TO WAKE UP LATER. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT SCREWS UP OUR DEVELOPMENT GOD DAMMIT SCHOOL SYSTEM!!!

I could write a novel about this.

In an ideal world, what would high school look like to you? Some suggestions to consider might include: longer/shorter periods, topics across subject areas that relate to each other, smaller or larger classes, different furniture configurations, comments on styles of teaching that have worked for you.

More conversational style of teaching when the topic is interesting. Which ideally it should be. Tangential discussion is okay, even if it is not directly related to curriculum. High-school should be an opportunity to expand the mind.

So much time is spent learning utterly useless things like film analysis and calculus(unless you actually need it). We should learn more actively appropriate things like car maintenance, basic cooking, and finance. Although it is very important that these topics be varied and spaced out, no one wants to do accounting all day. Ideally, I think school should be five hours, with two periods of two hours separated by one hour lunch break. Homework should be at a minimum, allowing more focus in class. I personally spend more time thinking about my overdue internals than the content being taught. I struggle to care about learning, credits are the sole achievement I seek. I genuinely stop myself from extra curricular learning, thinking that I ought instead to get my reading responses done. Honestly what is the point, I like learning, but I despise school.

School should start later in the winter terms and finish later. I think that we need to promote the ability to manipulate students internal to fit their individual needs: allowing art internals to fit English internals, and English fit into media studies internals. If this is already possible, it should be better known and discussed.

More hands on teaching if possible (handouts don't work as well for me personally to get the message through).

The periods should be shorter and school should start at 10 am because science has proven that the brain isn't fully active until 10 am. Also it would decrease the lateness number significantly and will give students more time to eat a nutritious breakfast to be able to focus more through out the day. The classes that are available to students do not relate to what they will be facing in real life; there is so much pressure put on students academically that it has gotten to the point where it's not students learning any more, it's just student remembering and being stressed out a lot. Science has also proved that the emotional state of a high school student now, is the same as a mentally insane/depressed person in the 1950's. That is messed up. Also the uniforms we have don't allow students the comfort of expressing themselves and if we try to express then we get in trouble.

Small to medium classes where students get lots of feedback from teachers are good. Larger classes where you get fewer comments/longer waiting time for marks back makes it a lot harder to figure out what you need to improve. Organized classes where you know what needs to get done when are also very helpful( aka the year planners we are given are great). As long as the main priority of the teachers and administrators the education the students are receiving it is good. However sometimes it seems like the administrators specifically at this school and occasionally the teachers are worried more about the reputation of the school and prioritize punishment for petty problems without caring about the disruptive effect this has on the students.

Make learning more fun for the students. have more hands-on education.

Make the class sizes more even, going from a class of about 30 to a class of about 17 is odd, and the timings throughout the week could be more even, changing the times is confusing, especially when new to the school, and for relieving teachers.

I think that sometimes there is a bit too much work in some classes as you don't get the chance to understand everything and then you move on to something else. And all the teachers expect you to do work at home but you also have work to do for other classes and most people also have other things after school such as sport. So by the time you have finished all your work from that day it is really late and you don't have time to revise for anything else that you need to especially when the school exams are coming up.

I think having smaller classes makes it easier to learn and engage in a lesson but that is also helped by a teachers ability to control a classroom environment. I think better topics, with better teaching strategies and more interesting in-class work and homework would be good and having a larger range of subjects based on student wants would be beneficial too. I also think that the furniture set up isn't a major factor into learning it is again the activity and the teachers take on a lesson that can either make or break a student's interest.

I think that it would be great if we could have some input as to what teachers we get in our senior years as different teachers have different teaching styles and what teacher you get can really affect how well you do that year in that subject and how much you enjoy it.

Fewer subjects in year 12-13 (as an option) because if you know exactly what you want to do, then typically you should only need a few subjects to fulfill this. If you don't know what to do then more subjects is optimal but I think you should have the option of only taking a few if you want to.

PLAYGROUNDS :D :D :D

The learning would come first, and we wouldn't get in trouble for little uniform issues. Getting in trouble for hair etc just makes me resent school.

More teachers that are passionate about teaching kids rather than just being there to get paid.

NO HOMEWORK LESS CLASSES WITH LONGER PERIODS.

I haven't bothered to suggest anything because I have come to accept that nothing will be changed while I am at high school.

The teachers are mostly fine, it's the education system that is completely broken. We end up learning about things that will never help us later on in our lives. However having a teacher to guide you through different subjects is good. I believe I could learn more online in a week than I could at school in a term therefore I find school somewhat of a waste of time. I honestly cannot wait until I leave school and I'm only staying in it because I have to. I will end up going to NCEA level 2. However, I'm leaving at the end of that.

As my husband says, 'muy interesante!'