At Taipa Area School

Taipa Bay

The principal guidelines of Taipa Area School is similiar to those of Swedish schools. The emphasis is on self-management, where the students are responsable for their own learning. This requires time and engagement from the teachers. However, every institution demands disciplin and rules so that goals will be met.

 

Taipa Area School has its own plan, the "Taipa Way", for students causing disorder, which concentrates on Respect, Responsability and Redemption to help to sort things out.

 

At work again!

 

And I have been so for a while, life took over with too many things going on after the vacations before leaving for Sweden in the end of this week.. already?!

So what does a normal day at Taipa Area School looks like?

 

I continue my classes in Physics and Maths where I alternate observing and teaching, getting aware of some differences between New Zealand and Sweden such as for instance longer periods (60 min in NZ and 45 min in Sweden) but this time is sometimes needed for the class to settle down. Furtermore the classes here are smaller (10-15 students) than what I am used to in Sweden. I really like the idea of the decorations corresponding to the topic in every classroom, which is possible since every teacher has their own classroom. I find the staff-meeting every morning to be good for the closer collaboration it brings.

 



The staffmeeting is taken place every morning.



 

At another place

Ninety Mile Beach, looking for mussels

 

What can I say, life is hard so now we have two weeks of holidays of exploring and enjoying, so I'll see you in May! See ya!

At lunch

The Feijoa ( Feijoa Sellowania or Acca Sellowania ) is also known as Pineapple Guava or Guavasteen.

It is a shrub or a small tree and a lot of Feijoa are grown in New Zealand, where it is a popular garden tree and the fruit is commonly available in season.

 

I am lucky to have found a couple of the Feijoa trees in the garden .. 

A picture says more than a thousand words, I am told..

 

At Taitokerau Festival

This year Taipa Area School had the honor to host Taitokerau Festival, which has been running for 30 years and brings schools together from across the wider region. There were 23 schools that visited Taipa.

 

And I was fortunate to experience this, being so far from my own french/swedish roots just feeling priviledged again. The entire school community has been puting in such an effort and making this such a great event. To see the kids giving their whole heart and being in the proud performances was just fantastic, so I invite you to watch Taipa Area School perform.

 

Two amazing days with a glimpse of the Maori culture !

At sea

     

Kia Ora,

        When the opportunity presented itself, I did not hesitate to jump on board to go sailing from Whangaroa Harbour last Saturday.
                                             
      I went with Mike Ryken, who together with his wife Joanne really makes me feel welcome here in Taipa and with John Lee the captain of the boat. We had a great day with some sun, some rain, some wind, some food, got some oysters and quite some laughs just enjoying being at sea.

                                                  
John Lee is a particularly talented teacher, who, apart for my mentors in science, I have followed in his class Career, to prepare students to focus on their futures preparing them for their last year at school then life beyond.

 

The oysters that Mike got for us ? We wouldn't let them go to waste, should we ?

 

 

At the beach

Taipa, Northland, New Zealand

Kia Ora,

 

Taipa Area School has about 330 students, where 60 % is Maori. The style of teaching gives place to the students to participate, such as discussions and teamwork. My classes in Secondary school correspond to the Swedish levels årskurs 9 and four years of Gymnasium.

Do you recognize the shellfish on this rock ?

I have had the privilege to be part of a biology-lesson that took place on the beach, a fieldtrip to discover and identify certain species. What a great way to use your environment for teaching!