I had the pleasure last week of taking a Year 8 class for writing.  It is always good to be back in the classroom, and to feel the excitement of working with young minds, stretching their thinking.

On Friday, the Teacher Only Day, the teachers became the learners as we attended two presentations and a workshop in the morning with our colleagues from Kaikorai Valley College.  We try to keep our classrooms and content current, but the technology is always just ahead of us.  Qualifications don’t always mean a job and the economic climate creates uncertainty.

The world is changing so fast it becomes hard to visualise the skills our students will need.  Some things though we do know: the ability to use language in its many forms, to be effective users of technology, to be able to problem solve and to be able to work with other people, especially those who may be of different ethnicities, religion or interests.  At Taieri College we try to create opportunities for students to practice these skills along with the many other things we are expected to teach.  Sometimes the ability to get along with other people is a difficult skill for our young people.  When conflict and challenge occurs it needs the adults, teachers and parents/whanau to work together to model how to use appropriate language, to problem solve and work in co-operation.  We appreciate those members of our Taieri College community who help us with this task.