Teachers are getting too friendly with their students

Teachers are getting too friendly with their students and the blame is being levelled at teacher training institutions.

Patrick Walsh, president of the secondary principals' association, is also on the teachers' disciplinary tribunal and he's seen a rising tide of teachers charged with serious misconduct.

"It comes on the back of the sexual abuse case up in Kaitaia and also the report from the teachers' council where there was an offender who was able to work in a number of schools," he said. "There is an indication that teacher education providers don't attach sufficient weight and importance to teachers respecting professional boundaries between themselves and students."

Last month, Pamapuria School deputy principal James Parker pleaded guilty to 49 charges of indecent assault, performing an indecent act and of unlawful sexual connection.

The attacks, on boys aged under 16, occurred over a period of nearly eight years up until his arrest.

Parker's conviction came the same week a ministerial inquiry into sexual offender Henry Te Rito Miki was released.

Miki pleaded guilty in April to seven charges of using a fake CV and birth certificate to gain employment, then fobbed off a suspicious principal who confronted him about his convictions by saying he had a twin brother.

Walsh said a small minority of teachers breach professional boundaries at a serious level but he was worried about a trend for teachers to be too close to their students.

"We've had a number of cases, male and female teachers, ending up in sexual relationships with students, and in some cases teachers have become pregnant to students," he said.

"It's also quite a common occurrence for teachers to text students and when it's done on a professional basis that's fine, but a number of cases before the tribunal have resulted in inappropriate relationships between teachers and students."

Walsh said texting students about getting homework in on time or football practice is useful, but the messages that have come before the tribunal prove that some teachers do not understand boundaries.

"The texts that often end up before the tribunal are saying ‘I like the way you dress' and ‘I'm having problems with my boyfriend, can I talk to you about it'," he said.

"They're sent by students, and teachers who are unfortunately talking about their own marital problems.

"You would think common sense would dictate that is not a good idea but it's something we cannot assume and has to be spelt out."

Walsh said training institutions need to reinforce that teachers are not there to be friends with students.

"It seems to me they should be bringing in experienced principals to talk to teacher trainees about what the expectation is in the school setting and some of the things that have gone wrong," he said.

"That includes pointing out some of the cases that have ended up at the disciplinary tribunal and what the expectations are of parents, boards and principals in relation to the way they behave and what can go wrong for them if the breach those protocols.

"It's very easy to become too involved; we've moved away from that very strict relationship into one that is a lot more personal."

Teachers' council director Peter Lind said not all the blame can be put on teacher training institutions, and that schools themselves need to take stronger measures.

"You just can’t front load everything into pre-service teacher education," he said.

Walsh also called for ways of testing a person's readiness for teaching that look at their maturity and ability to relate to students "in an appropriate manner".

"But how you go about testing that I'm not too sure."

Lind said testing the mental capacity of trainee teachers came though clearly in Mel Smith's ministerial inquiry into sexual offender Miki.

"We do need to think very carefully about who gets selected into programmes, who gets employed as teaches and what their dispositions might be," he said. "There needs to be in-depth interviewing of individuals."

- © Fairfax NZ News

Children Start School at 4

Y JOHNSTON

JOHN SELKIRK/Fairfax NZ

BETTER NOW: Nga Teariki with children Skye, 4, and Saul, 3.

Children could be packing their bags to start primary school a year earlier if a proposal to lower the entrance age goes ahead.

The move would see 4-year-olds included on school rolls and would take early childhood education away from private operators and into public hands. The compulsory school age is six, although most schools take children at five.

Manurewa MP Louisa Wall, fresh from a success with her marriage equality bill, is leading the charge.

''Too many of our kids aren't prepared for school,'' Wall said. ''It hasn't made sense to me for a long time why we've commodified the early years, making early childhood education only available to those who can afford it.''

Unlike primary and secondary schools, preschool learning is made up from private, community and parent-led centres.

Preschool children receive 20 hours free early childhood education but poorer communities struggle with a lack of centres, transport issues, cultural misunderstandings and extra "hidden" costs.

A South Auckland early childhood education taskforce set up to tackle the problem found only 27 per cent of new entrants have had any form of early childhood education. Nationally, participation rate is 94.7 per cent, with Maori and Pacific Island children at the lower end of the scale.

Wall says a burgeoning birth rate in those vulnerable areas meant the problem would get worse.

''The thinking around allowing schools to take 4-year-olds is that it would immediately meet the need,'' Wall said.

It would also save money. To build a new centre for 50 children cost $1.2 million - not including land. Using existing school facilities would solve that problem, Wall said.

Weymouth primary school in South Auckland is one of the first in the country to allow a private preschool provider to build on public land, providing a much- needed learning centre within walking distance for many families.

Being able to drop her ''big kid'' at school at the same time as taking the little ones to an on-site early childhood centre has worked wonders for Manukau mum Nga Teariki.

''We love having the kindy onsite,'' Teariki said. ''It made the move to primary much easier.''

She noticed a big difference in her son, now five, after going to early childhood before he started school.

''He developed a lot of skills. He learned how to write his name and could count to 30. Now he's in the top reading class.''

Teariki said she didn't think lowering the acceptance age for primary school was a bad idea - especially if it reduced the cost to families.

Dr Sarah Farquhar, chief executive of ChildForum, said countries which let 4-year-olds go to school, such as the Netherlands, had a high level of academic achievement.

Some principals, including Manurewa East principal Phil Palfrey, agree, at least in theory.

''It would make a difference to a lot of our kids who don't have any preschool experience,'' Palfrey said.

''People will think that it's ridiculous and that it's crazy but schools have to embrace new ideas. And if we really want to make a difference, we have to do whatever it takes.''

Chair of the taskforce Colleen Brown said the Government's aim for a 98 per cent participation rate in early childhood education by 2016 meant thinking outside the square.

''Fundamentally we can't afford to rely on building centres with Ministry of Education funding to relieve the pressure. What [Wall] is putting up is an option. If principals want to support that then we need to look at that.''

The taskforce suggestions are now with a Ministry of Education implementation committee.

- © Fairfax NZ News

Choosing ECE Care

Choosing an early childhood education provider

I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go… but who will look after baby? We outline your childcare options below so you can choose what best suits your family.

Most parents use some kind of childcare in the pre-school years, whether it's one-off baby-sitting by Grandma or going the whole nine yards by hiring a live-in au pair. And if you are looking at starting work keep in mind that the type of care that's best for your child depends on everything from your line of work to the age and personality of your child. We offer pros and cons about the most common options available in New Zealand. 

Informal care:

Have you got a grandmother, relative or perhaps a friend or neighbour who you could swap childcare duties with? If so, you're one of the lucky ones.

Advantages:

• The cost is likely to be low
• You know what you're getting and your child will be less likely to have settling-in difficulties with someone he knows already. 
• If you work sporadically, perhaps because you're a freelancer or contractor, then thee flexibility of an informal arrangement is a huge bonus as most childcare facilities require you to commit to certain days and times each week.

Disadvantages:

• Potential conflict over your expectations and their style of childcare could be harder to resolve because of the informal nature of care.
• Your "carers" are less likely to have formal childcare qualifications.

Nannies

If you'd like your baby to have one-on one-care with a dedicated caregiver then a nanny is a good option.

Advantages:

• Nannies will have all the required qualifications and tend to offer high-quality care because of one-on-one nature of it.
• The nanny will usually have a driver's licence and be able to take the child or children on outings, or to kindergarten etc.
• Depending on the arrangements you could expect a small amount of housework as well, perhaps she could make the children's dinner for instance, and take care of their laundry needs.
• Having a nanny who comes to your home will also save you time on a busy working morning.

Disadvantages:

• You will need a back-up for childcare when the nanny is sick or unavailable. It's expensive, costing around $18-23 an hour, although you could look at a nanny-share situation with another family.
• Nannies may not stay long (particularly if they're young). So you'll have to be prepared to find a replacement, and for the subsequent settling-in period.

Au pairs

An au pair lives in your house, and earns a nominal weekly sum, (from $180 for 40 hours of childcare per week, source: Au Pair Link). They are often from overseas, spending time in New Zealand on a "gap year" before university.

Advantages:

• It's one of the cheaper childcare options, and with the right au pair, your children can develop a very close relationship with them.
• If you have someone from overseas they will be exposed to another culture and language.
• Au pairs live in, so will be available and if you give them access to your family car then they can drive the children to their various playgroups, kindergartens or other activities.
• An au pair would certainly work well if both parents work full-time.

Disadantages:

• Space. You will need a spare room, or perhaps your children will have to share a room while you have an au pair living in.
• There could be difficulties in settling in, especially if your au pair feels homesick or isolated.
• Some au pairs will be with your family for less than a year - eventually they will go home, and you'll have to again start the process of finding one and settling him into your family.
• Au pairs are not a good option if you're reluctant to share your personal space with strangers.

In-home care

In-home cares, or educators, are similar to nannies expect that your child will go to her home rather than yours, and she looks after up to four children at a time. Agencies such as Porse, Home Grown Kids or Barnados, run these services and they can be a great alternative to a childcare centre, particularly for younger children.

Advantages:

• The cost is much lower than the cost of a nanny and in some cases it's lower than private daycare.
• In-home care offers a home environment with small groups of children rather than big rooms full of children and noise.
• Depending on the arrangement, your carer may be happy to feed your child, so you won't have to supply food.
• The staff are likely to be trained or qualified carers' and if you use an agency like then they'll also take care of payroll.
• Most agencies will also offer visits by a programme manager who will offer guidance and quality control, and playgroups. Particularly good for the early years when babies and toddlers will appreciate more one-on-one time.

Disadvantages:

• If your carer is sick, you'll have to take your child somewhere else. Some agencies offer you an alternative but your child may not settle with a different carer so easily.
• You'll have to drop the kids off and pick them up so the round-trip from home to work will be longer. 
• In-home care usually offers less stimulation and educational opportunities than daycare.

Daycare

The traditional daycare centre is a private centre run with qualified staff, offering a range of half or full-day options.

Advantages:

• It's often the cheapest option.
• Because there are so many of centres around now you're likely to get one close to your home or work.
• It's an opportunity for lots of socialising and activities and if you get a good one you can be confident that the staff will be qualified and happy in their work.
• A lot will offer cooked and nutritious meals, so you can be sure your child is getting at least one healthy meal a day, and that can save you money.
• They don't close during the school holidays - a major advantage over kindergarten for working parents.

Disadvantages:

• The good ones can be so good that you'll need to put your baby on a wait-list very early to secure their place.
• Your favourite staff may leave. Check staff turnover rates, because that can give you a clue to an unhappy workplace.
• Strict opening and closing hours apply - some centres will charge you a fee if you are late to pick up your child - so you may not have much flexibility over working late.
• Daycare centres tend to be busy noisy places which many not suit all children.

Playcentre

Playcentre is not strictly childcare, it's a community-based model where children, alongside their parents, learn through play. Depending on where you live, playcentre may allow you to drop and leave occasionally, or you may be required to be there with your child for every session. Parents are strongly encouraged to come along to playcentres and in fact are required to undertake a Playcentre-specific qualifications.  

Advantages:

• The centre is managed by a co-operative of parents so you will have the opportunity to have a say in the running of the centre. It's cheap, from nothing up to $50 a term.
• You will gain skills in child education.

Disadvantages:

• Playcentres aren't really an option for working parents (although your nanny may be able to take your child), so don't view it as a childcare option, rather as a more formal playgroup.

Kindergarten

Most kindergartens are public, not-for-profit centres with qualified staff. Kindergartens offer pre-school education for three to four year olds with a focus on learning through play. 

Advantages:

• It's a great way for children to learn to socialise, especially if they attend a kindergarten close to where they will be going to school at the age of five. You can claim the 20 hours of ECE subsidy, with the kindergarten asking for a nominal donation per session, so it's one of the cheapest options.  
• Some people consider kindergartens the best for preparing your child for school.
• Disadvantages:
• Although some kindergartens have in the last few years opted to offer full-day sessions, most still work on a sessional basis, so it really isn't an option for working parents, unless you have the flexibility of working from home. If your kindergarten still operates on half-day sessions, then your three year old will likely begin with a two or three hour afternoon session three days a week, and when they turn four they will attend five mornings a week.  
• They will close during school holidays, so what will you do then?

Other factors to consider…

• Where will your child go to school? Will they be able to make friends before they go.
• 20 hours Early Childhood Education subsidy is available for three to four year olds for all of the above, except the informal care. But you are best to check with your carer or educator first.
•  You may qualify for a WINZ subsidy.
• The Education Review Office (ERO) conducts regular reviews of childcare centres. You can access these reports from their website, www.ero.govt.nz.
• Think about your child's personality - is he very social, or does he like to be away from loud noises and crowds of other kids?  
• Talk to other mums in your neighbourhood, friends and colleagues to get ideas on what childcare options worked (or perhaps more importantly didn't work) for them.