I Saw an Angel in the Marble

Michelangelo of course was a genius of gigantic proportions. His work is breath taking from architecture through to his stunning sculpture, drawing and painting.  He was able to see in nature and the world generally what others couldn’t see.

 He famously said, ‘I saw an angel in the marble and carved until I set him free’.  This line is so inspiring across a number of dimensions. It excites me from an education perspective.

 Every day parents and teachers have this same opportunity with children. If you look close enough you can see the unique individuality and fragility of each child. This presents a wonderful and critically important time when we can embrace and nurture this fragile beauty. Handled correctly we can draw out the trust and confidence of the child to show their real selves, their personal voice, their creativity, their soul, their worries, their dreams and in doing so set free their potential as human beings.

 When most children arrive at school they are usually bursting with ideas, creativity, personal voice and personality. Their filters on life are open and free. They are keen to express themselves and are willing to have a go at all sorts of new tasks.

 The sad reality is that in traditional education settings, these same children incrementally close down their filters showing less and less of themselves. They learn quickly that there is often only one right answer the teacher is looking for, there is only one way to interpret a question and that their ideas are best to kept to themselves as they are annoying or wrong.  These messages are learnt in subtle and not so subtle ways. A painting may be judged on the skill set of realistic representation of what the teacher wants rather than the ideas and thoughts behind the child’s work. A child’s writing may be judged on the surface features of neat writing and accurate punctuation as opposed to the ideas and thinking of the content. Many children quickly lose their confidence and view themselves as ‘dumb’ because they don’t meet the teacher’s expectations. Quiet and sensitive children or children who just don’t fit the ‘norm’ of life can melt into social obscurity if the teacher allows the more confident, brash or even bullying types dominate the learning environment.

 On a more macro front, if the leadership of a school demands conformity and ‘straight line’ thinking of their staff this filters down into the classroom and the school culture. People become fearful and slowly but surely creativity and personal voice gets melded into a machine where surface features of policies and procedures are more valued than the head and the heart. Most teachers become fearful, lose confidence to speak up and usually fall into line.

 On a broader front still, this is the challenge of our education system.  NZ needs teachers who are encouraged to be creative, have personal voice and autonomy.  This doesn’t mean we don’t need structure and systems but on all fronts, including the macro national level and within schools themselves we need people who are set free to sincerely connect with each other and the children on a real and powerful level where personal voice,  trust, empowerment, respect, risk taking  and real empathy are celebrated.

 If all people are made to think the same via structure and systems, then nobody is really thinking at all. Can you see what is possible for NZ education as Michelangelo saw in the marble?

 

 

We All Wish For the Cloths of Heaven

 

Like so many others,  I just love W B Yeats’s poetry and his poem ‘Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven’ stirs me deeply.

The simplicity and frugal use of words, the stunning imagery and the profound metaphorical essence of this poem captures the emotional intensity we all feel about our passions. It is such a beautiful poem and  I refer to it regularly.

“Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Of night and light and the half light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”

― W.B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds 1899

The poem is so romantic but yet it could refer to any context where immense passion and love is concerned.

Recently I read in the DomPost that the creator of the ‘jetpack flying machine’, Glenn Martin had resigned as a director from the Martin Aircraft Company. He said, “To me the personal jetpack was always number one, and so the company has a different vision for where it wants to go [compared] to mine. And eventually you go, it’s not for me.” On his departure he went on to say, “I only have two pieces of advice. Deliver the dream that people want, not the product that is easiest to build. Now don’t @#!* it up!”

What Glenn Martin was saying resonated with me and I immediately thought of Yeats’s poem, particularly the line, “Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”

Steve Jobs (Apple) and Bill Gates (Microsoft) had very similar dreams. Both wanted to get a computer into the hands of everyday people and of course they both have achieved this beyond their wildest dreams. Their energy, passion and entrepreneurship has been absolutely stunning. Steve Jobs died a few years ago but he can rest in peace knowing his wonderful company Apple continues to aspire to the same entrepreneurial vision which was so important to Steve Jobs.

Through the success of  Bill Gates’ original dream he has become one of the wealthiest men on the planet and now his vision goes beyond just breaking new ground with his IT company to using his success to assist the impoverished.

Martin Luther King in his famous speech “I have a dream…...’ laid out his hopes and aspirations for the black community. His passionate call for racial equality became a mantra for subsequent generations and his words provided a vocabulary and bridge for others to carry on his work after his assassination. Although his ‘dream’ is still yet to be fully realised, much progress has been made and others have stepped forward championing the cause.

Not everyone one will be as visible as a Mandela, King, Gates or Steve Jobs but we all in our own way,  bare our soul and lay down our dreams and hopes for the future goodwill of all manner of things including our families. For many they have the privilege to feel passionate about their work where they can make a real difference to others’ lives as part of their vocation.

For many of us, our precious dreams, hopes and aspirations won’t be  fully realised or we will have to settle for some compromise. Sometimes we are in complete control of our destiny when it comes to our life’s goals and aspirations  but often because of things out of our control these dreams can be dashed.

Yeats’s poem is a wonderful lyrical metaphor which allows the reader to reflect on their own hopes and aspirations calling on those who follow to ‘tread softly because you tread on my dreams’.

The Magic of Numbers

http://www.redicecreations.com/

In recent times we have all heard in the media that maths learning is not up to scratch in New Zealand. Mind you, this is not new news. “A report commissioned by the Ministry of Education found that in 2013, 41% of Year 8 students were not achieving in maths at the expected level, with holes in fractions, decimals, percentages, and pro-numerals. The New Zealand Initiative released its latest education report Un(ac)countable: Why millions on maths returned little. The title raises a critical question: why did New Zealand pour $70 million and counting into a project that has failed to improve maths learning? The report covers the history of the Numeracy Project, taking a critical look at this expensive experiment that has failed to return benefits.”(1)

Right from Y2001 when the Numeracy Project was implemented in schools many of the country’s education commentators raised their concerns at such a radical change to maths teaching in primary schools. Many of the older brigade were cynical and touted other education fads that had come and gone such as the Graves’ writing process’ of the 1980s. Not that these and other curriculum initiatives were fundamentally flawed, but because the old and wise heads had seen the pendulum swing too far with each new fad and they often felt common sense and hard earned experience were not fully considered.

Millions of dollars were poured into the Numeracy Project curriculum development including significant professional development for teachers. Most younger teachers ‘cut their teeth’ on the numeracy project approach and it is all they now know regarding teaching maths. The Ministry of Education at the time said, “The biggest difference in schools involved in the Numeracy Project is that children are encouraged to learn a range of different ways to solve problems and to choose the most appropriate one for each problem. You may be familiar with certain ‘rules’ for doing maths. While these will still work, your child may learn different ways to solve problems. Often these methods involve mental strategies, or working things out in your head, rather than written methods.“

Well, it is clear the Numeracy project has not lived up to its hype and we not only have many young people put off maths through utter confusion and failure but also many confused younger teachers not quite sure where to next with regard to teaching maths.

I agree with Rose Patterson’s analysis of where the numeracy project has placed our learners. “It is big picture, working it out in your head, seeing patterns, estimative, intuitive, and investigative. Grasshoppers. Sounds fun really, and as many critics of the Numeracy Project have pointed out, myself included, there is nothing wrong with grasshopper maths learning. The problem is the lack of emphasis on the former. (The exact, prescriptive, step-by-step, written, formulaic maths learning. Inchworms! May not be as fun but it is certainly useful.) And while there has been such an emphasis on seeing the big picture of how the maths game works, the eye has been taken off the ball. This inchworm style of learning may not be sufficient alone but it is necessary for helping children form the deeper conceptual understanding of maths that the Numeracy Project intended.” (2)

Everyone is in agreement that we shouldn’t swing back to the other end of the pendulum to the old style of teaching maths (rules, rules, algorithms, algorithms) but harness the best of both worlds.

For my money the key two aspects of primary maths teaching should focus on fostering fluency with number and the teaching of problem solving strategies.

It may sound old fashion but children need to have quick recall of their basic facts (times tables). There are so many fun and real life contextual ways of assisting children gaining this recall. However, like most things worthwhile in life, a bit of graft is also necessary. Children who do not gain quick mastery of the basic facts often lose confidence with maths as they struggle to gain accuracy when completing the most fundamental maths problems. This compounds as they get older and the demands of the maths programme amps up. We have a duty as educators to create an environment of support and expectation so young children have fun and achievement gaining this number fluency. Basic fact acquisition is the start of this fluency but it goes way beyond this with ‘playing’ and ‘exploring’ with number becomes part and parcel of  school life. Looking into patterns, primes etc make maths come to life---children begin to see the magic of number.

Problem solving is of course at the heart of all maths. Some children are intuitive and can quickly unravel maths problems but many do not have this natural ability. Some even have difficulty reading what is being asked. If children incrementally are exposed to problem solving strategies such as ‘guess and check’; ‘make a list’ or ‘create a table’; ‘draw a diagram’; etc , they have a ready armoury of approaches to unravel what is being asked of them.

If problem solving is handled in a supportive, real life contextual and collaborative way it becomes a fun part of the classroom programme and huge gains in achievement and confidence are made.

For many young teachers, maths teaching and learning has been confused via the numeracy project. Within the programme there is much to be lauded but it is definitely time to take stock and consider what we is working and what is not. Teachers need to follow their gut intuition and use teacher inquiry to gather information, build on their findings and become passionate explorers of  the most effective teaching methodologies that build confidence with their children.

My gut instinct and experience tells me, keep it simple and ensure fluency with number is paramount, closely followed by the teaching of problem solving strategies. Once children gain confidence with these core skills, success with more complex maths challenges will follow.

(1) +    (2) Why millions on maths didn't add up | Rose Patterson | The National Business Review---Rose Patterson Published: 12/06/2015

Centenary Speech

 

             

In September this year we hosted old boy and our 1932 Dux Hugh Turnbull at a special assembly to celebrate his 100^th birthday. He is still remarkably spry and chipper for his years. It struck me then that one life time goes by so quickly and yet Wellesley turning a 100 seems monumental.

So much has happen since Harry Amos set up Wellesley a hundred years ago..

Since its inception, Wellesley has marched on through significant historical changes and challenges. Setting up a school at the start of ww1 was a bold move  (in anyone’s language) but bigger challenges were to follow. The great depression, ww2, fire, earthquakes, storms, global financial challenges and much, much  more.

It has been said that the last 100 years has seen “more technological and scientific progress than all the other centuries combined. Terms like ideology, world war, genocide, and nuclear war entered common language usage. Scientific discoveries, such as the theory of relativity and quantum physics, drastically changed the worldview of scientists, causing them to realize that the universe was fantastically more complex than previously believed.

The 20^thcentury started with horses, simple automobiles, and freighters but ended with high-speed rail, cruise ships, global commercial air travel and the space shuttle.

Mass media, telecommunications, and information technology particularly the Internet has made the world's knowledge instantly available. Advancements in medical technology increased life expectancy from 35 years to 75 years plus.        

(italics adapted from Wikipedia--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_century)

Change has been constant from the inkwells and blotters of 1914 to the World Wide Web of the 1990s to 3D printers of today. Wellesley has more than kept up with these changes. The early 20th century society demanded that children were to be seen but not heard and that they were vessels to be filled with knowledge to today's fostering of curiosity, self-expression and creative thinking.

Yet for all this change from those early days on the Terrace in Wellington, our founder Harry Amos would be proud to know that his aims of teaching the boys to become self-reliant, responsible and worthy citizens are still at the heart of Wellesley today.

 It was an inspired decision to move Wellesley out to Days Bay. The location is quite spectacular and provides an aesthetic and spiritual backdrop which helps make Wellesley a jewel in Wellington’s crown.

We are a young city and country and Wellesley has grown in parallel with Wellington’s development. (best little city in the world no less) and along the way, many of our old boys have made,  and continue to make a substantial contribution to the business, sporting and cultural fortunes of the city and beyond.

Croydon had operated on this special Days Bay site since 1907 and their  raison d' etre sat comfortably with the merging with Wellesley in 1940. Croydon was an excellent school and today we honour it via one of our school Houses being named Croydon.

With minimal government support, remaining an independent school has always required fortitude.

It has taken commitment and tenacity from parents and staff to build  Wellesley to what it is today. Special people who have been the glue and gone beyond the call of duty to ensure the values and goals which have impacted so positively on so many boys are embedded in the culture of the school.

Wellesley is indeed in good heart. The facilities are modern learning environments fit for the successful 21st century learning model. Wellesley continues to be the school to beat be it in the classroom, on the sports field or in the exciting world of the arts. Tonight is to celebrate and honour the past but also to look out to the future because we want Wellesley to remain in the words of Bob Dylan, 'forever young'.

Compared to the norm, a disproportionate number of famous old boy achievers have come out of Wellesley. be it on the sports field, the business landscape, science and technology, the arts and community service. Success though comes in many forms and it swells any teacher’s heart with pride when they see the reluctant reader or the shy child blossom in their own way.

However the essence of Wellesley is the connection and rapport with staff and friends and the many stories and experiences of the boys from them crawling through the pipe leading to the beach to escape to the dairy, boys getting in the ceiling of Days Bay House and lifting the tiles to get a view,  to fishing on Days Bay wharf so matron could cook their fish for dinner to playing in the creeks and bush to the  cheeky and mischevious encounters with various staff. School life is remembered more from these adventures and experiences and the simple pleasures of the amazing natural environment of the beach and the bush than the many hours in the classroom itself.

 

Picasso said that when he was a child he dreamt of being able to draw like Raphael but as an adult he aspired to be able to draw like a child. I get that as young children bring an honesty and freshness to not only their art but to each encounter they have. This personal voice devoid of the influence of society's conditioning process allows their thoughts to come from the heart unfiltered and their individuality shines through.

Wellesley allows boys to show their inner self and enables them to be the best they can be. Wellesley has the confidence to allow the boys to be boys where laughter is valued and grit promoted.

Like Picasso, Wellesley must also continue to aspire to see the world through the lens of a child. This honesty, freshness and vitality will keep us curious, optimistic and fearless.

Like a dog with a bone we must continue to strive to be true to our values and build on our aspirational culture. This attitude is motivational for all concerned.

Schools have a unique opportunity to be transformational or ordinary. To inspire, to excite and to create the belief that anything is possible. Kurt Hahn’s philosophy of ‘we are all better than we know’ is central to this approach. To be involved in such an environment at Wellesley is an honour and I want you to know the whole is certainly greater than all the individual parts. No single person or group can create such an energy and this evening is a great way to bring us all together to celebrate our very special school.

I have no doubt that our second hundred years will bring more challenges and change than we can imagine but I also know Wellesley's heart is strong and we are not only ready to take whatever is thrown at us but willing to step out and take control of our own destiny.

As long as we keep current and relevant, striving to be fresh, innovative and brave Wellesley will continue to launch boys into life with an open mind prepared and willing to contribute.

Thank you for your unstinting support and it is my pleasure to raise a glass to you and to our very special school. To Wellesley!

The Silver Bullet?

                                   

It’s difficult to find life’s calm balance where you feel in control and at peace with the world. As you get older and take on more responsibility getting this calm balance is even more challenging. I don’t know about you but I am expert at not taking enough time out to ‘smell the roses’. I haven’t quite figured it out though because when I do take the time, damn those roses smell good. But would they smell so good if I was out there smelling them all the time! Getting the right ‘life balance’ equilibrium is one of life’s mysteries to me but I do see its immense value and importance. For this reason, I believe this concept needs to be fostered in schools. In that way I know all learning would be enhanced and the world would be a better place. I also believe that if this teaching took place in schools, combined with an enlightened and aspirational learning culture, a number of society’s problems would be reduced---simplistic maybe, but a goal worth pursuing.

From time to time I receive email from friends, colleagues or parents from our school community recommending I read some book or article. Often in life’s rush I don’t have time to follow up but mostly when I do find the time, it is worth the effort .

This was the case with a recent email from a parent who has an interest in ‘mindfulness’. She alerted me to Arianna Huffington’s book ‘Thrive’ and gave me a few links and background to Arianna  (which I shamelessly share with you below) who is the President and Editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, Arianna is a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of fourteen books.  Since her 2005 launch of The Huffington Post, it has become one of the most widely-read, linked to, and cited media brands online.  In 2012, the site won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting, and Arianna has been named on Time Magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people and the Forbes Most Powerful Women list. In Thrive, Arianna Huffington makes an impassioned and compelling case for the need to redefine what it means to be successful in today's world. 

According to Arianna  ‘as more and more people are coming to realize, there is far more to living a truly successful life than just earning a bigger salary and capturing a corner office. Our relentless pursuit of the two traditional metrics of success -- money and power -- has led to an epidemic of burnout and stress-related illnesses, and an erosion in the quality of our relationships, family life, and, ironically, our careers. In being connected to the world 24/7, we're losing our connection to what truly matters. Our current definition of success is, as Thrive shows, literally killing us. We need a new way forward. ‘       
 
In a commencement address Arianna gave at Smith College in the spring of 2013, she likened our drive for money and power to two legs of a three-legged stool. They may hold us up temporarily, but sooner or later we're going to topple over. We need a third leg -- a third metric for defining success -- to truly thrive. That third metric, she writes in Thrive, includes our well-being, our ability to draw on our intuition and inner wisdom, our sense of wonder, and our capacity for compassion and giving. As Arianna points out, our eulogies celebrate our lives very differently from the way society defines success. They don't commemorate our long hours in the office, our promotions, or our sterling PowerPoint presentations as we relentlessly raced to climb up the career ladder. They are not about our resumes -- they are about cherished memories, shared adventures, small kindnesses and acts of generosity, lifelong passions, and the things that made us laugh.
From (http://www.amazon.com/Thrive-Redefining-Success-Creating-Well-Being/dp/0804140847)

In Gordon Ching’s blog (Chief Digital Officer of AIESEC International) he quotes the fundamental lessons From Arianna Huffington's Thrive.

"Life is shaped from the inside out not the outside in." -- Arianna Huffington

Here are ten practical ways to bring more well-being to your life:

1.       Finish things: Reduce your baggage and the mental weight you carry. Arianna: "Did you know you can complete a project by dropping it?"

2.       Experience wonder: We grew up loving moments of magic and wonder, the magic of exploration and discovery -- bring it back to your life by enabling yourself to discover and dream.

3.       Remove poison If there is somebody toxic in your life, kindly remove them from your life. Don't ever hold grudges. "Resentment is like drinking poison, waiting for the other person to die." -- Carrie Fisher

4.       Natural hours of sleep: Try sleeping for eight hours at minimum as a start. You'll soon find what your natural sleeping hours are and soon begin to wake up naturally and feel refreshed.

5.       Practice mindfulness: Start taking breaks out of your day where you just become mindful. To feel your hands, your feet, to pay attention to your breathing -- just be 100 percent present.

6.       Digital disconnect: Experience digital-free hours to see things differently and experience deeper connections with people. You'll notice and realize things you didn't before because you were too busy starring at that screen. The world is full of wonders, you just have to look up.

7.       Meditate: Meditation isn't just for old people. Try a deep breathing exercise right before you sleep or the next time you're stressed. Start with a minute and eventually dedicate 15-20 minutes to meditate and be at peace.

8.       Give: Generosity is huge to unlocking happiness. How great does it feel when you help or give to others, asking for nothing back? Do something nice for somebody every day -- whether it is a compliment or a small gift.

9.       Learn to say no: Saying yes to anybody means saying no to everybody. Ask yourself, "Is it that important that you need to do that?" Don't overwhelm yourself with responsibilities that you cannot meet.

10.   Personal time: Devote time to yourself. A time of sanctuary where you can rediscover and recharge at your own pace. Take a warm bath, practice deep breathing, banish LCD screens temporarily, take the longer walk and just be in the comfortable in your own skin. Many of life's wonders are discovered when we are alone.

When you don't sleep enough, you bring out the worst version of yourself to the world. In my experience you: become more impulsive and make horrible decisions, feel more lonely than usual, have heightened impatience, get frustrated and upset more easily and have lower control of emotions and self-esteem.

Eight sleep tips from Thrive:

1.       Get a new pillow and a new pillowcase

2.       Make your bedroom darker and keep it cool

3.       Practice deep breathing before bed

4.       Take a warm bath before bed

5.       Exercise or at least walk every day

6.       Banish all LCD screens at night

7.       Cut down on coffee after 2 p.m and avoid alcohol right before bedtime to give the body time to metabolize it

8.       Prevent stress from building up throughout the day -- it makes it harder to fall asleep -- every few hours take 60 seconds of recovery time -- simply stop what you are doing and bring awareness to the palms of your hands and soles of your feet, or both.

In the age of hyper-connectivity, we need to know how to disconnect and reconnect with ourselves. Because if we are looking to improve and change this world--we need to be functioning at our best to lead the change we wish to see and thrive.

Don't just go out there and climb the ladder of success. Instead, redefine success. Because the world desperately needs it. -- Arianna Huffington

SuccessMindfullnessArianna Huffington ThriveThe Third MetricWell BeingMillennialsMeditationThrivingRedefining SuccessArianna HuffingtonSleepScreen Sense

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gordon-ching/redefining-success-lessons-from-arianna-huffington-thrive_b_5222408.html  

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2014/05/05/4-life-changing-concepts-arianna-huffington-taught-me/

Sound like a Tui ad on one hand (YEAH RIGHT) but even if we took some of the advice and became more conscious about the core themes of Arianna we would be all better off.

I think I might go out and buy ‘Thrive’!

Boys Being Boys

Like guardians the driftwood stacks sit comfortably on the sand

The boys delight in creating and recreating their forts

And the spirit of the bay smiled.

A Nation of Curious Minds

A few weeks ago I was delighted to read that the Government  had  announced a new nationwide action plan to encourage engagement with science and technology. A big focus of course is in education.

Not before time as science has had a very low profile in many primary schools for too long. I have to be careful with this generalisation as some schools and individual teachers are doing a wonderful job. Too often though science teaching becomes very language based or lost in the middle of some thematic study.  Teachers can lack confidence and / or knowledge to embark on science studies or would rather focus on subjects of personal interest.

As a school we have prioritised Science and employed a lead teacher to work along classroom teachers with dedicated Science and Materials Technology facility. This is in some way a luxury but if you believe in promoting this amazing area of study and engagement, then it is a ‘no brainer’ in terms of budget considerations.

When ‘A Nation of Curious Minds’ was launched by Education Minister Hekia Parata (Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce), she said,  “If we are serious about ensuring a prosperous future for every New Zealander, we must ensure all our young people have the best possible opportunity to achieve educational success. Lifting engagement and achievement in science education is absolutely vital and the education profession must prepare all New Zealanders to be participants, and leaders, in the 21st century.”

Steven Joyce was reported as saying, “Science, and the knowledge and innovation that flow from it, plays a critical role in creating and defining our future.”

The Government’s concept of a Nation of Curious Minds is very awe inspiring and strategically very wise but for this plan to be successful, sustainable career pathways also need to be available. Historically science graduates have had to struggle to make a decent living. A PhD  graduate will spend from age 5 through to about 25 in education building massive student debt and by the time they ‘get some runs on the board’ via their research they are usually getting worn down having to battle for funding to build on their findings. Their salaries are a fraction of what a lawyer, accountant etc would get with a similar qualification and experience. So how important is science really to the nation? We have to reward these very intelligent people who commit to research and the long hours of associated work.  These are the people who progress our world with their research and development findings.

Capturing the love and passion for science needs to start with our new entrants at school. Science traverses all that we are and do as humans. Children love getting their hands and minds into this fascinating subject and it links so well with other curriculum areas. It is a way of thinking, a way of viewing the world and something that you do, not something that you learn from a textbook.

For some years we have been promoting curiosity via our approach to inquiry learning. We want the boys to develop an inquisitive disposition to the point of it being second nature to them. The macro picture of inquiry can be deceiving and may be seen as simply fostering curiosity, which of course is a laudable pursuit but we also have to empower children to become independent life- long learners.

Our job as educators is to enthuse and encourage the curiosity within children and in parallel, build the skills of developing good questions for inquiry, seeking out answers, generating solutions, testing hypotheses, justifying conclusions and exploring other questions generated during the inquiry.  The skills of inquiry learning are the building blocks for all learning. This approach actively engages and empowers children allowing access to transformational learning experiences.

A key message we keep hearing is that for New Zealand to improve its competitiveness in the global market place, we must foster creativity, innovation and enterprise in all aspects of society and particularly in schools.

At the heart of making a real difference to productivity is ‘smart thinking’ aligned with the courage to push the boundaries of our imagination and dare to do something different. We need to develop this aspiration in our children.

Our job as educators is to provide contexts for creative endeavor (be it in the arts, science, maths or any pursuit), expectations of ‘personal best’ effort and a warm, inclusive culture that supports risk taking.

In short, I am excited about the Government’s initiative, not just in the science arena but as a disposition to foster in all that we do in this wonderful country of Aoteroa.