Tauranga teachers took to the streets this weekend in a flash mob form to protest against education reforms.
Organised by the Primary Teachers Union Bay of Plenty branch, the flash mob protest at locations from Te Puke to Tauranga on Saturday saw teachers and supporters chanting ‘Hekia – Leave our kids alone' in the routine choreographed to Pink Floyd's ‘Another Brick in the Wall'.
Fairview School teacher Trish Hunt says the protests got a 'fantastic response” from the public and teachers now plan to take the fight to the Beehive.
'We're trying to make the public aware of the changes that are coming into education are going to be harmful to children and harmful to the way schools are run, and we want Hekia to understand that the teachers and the all the professionals involved in schools are not happy about these changes and we want more negotiation.”
The group – which involved teachers from about 10 schools - put on six performances from Te Puke to Papamoa, at Bayfair, Red Square, Gate Pa and Fraser Cove.
Trish says they are planning to take the flash mob protest on a road trip early next year, performing at centres along the way before staging the protest outside parliament.
'We have a robust and supreme education system and they are trying to bring in reforms from overseas that have been tried and crashed and burned, and our kids are going to suffer from it.
'We have a really superior education system here in NZ and we don't want that to change – we don't want our children to be put through an education system that is so narrow that it focuses on reading and writing and maths, and doesn't allow for growth for those children that may be not academic but have other skills.”
The protests are part of the NZEI's campaign against large class sizes, introducing league tables, performance pay for teachers, reforms to the board of trustees model and charter schools. It is hoped other NZEI regions will adopt the flash mob campaign in their areas.
9 comments
Professionals?
Posted on 12-11-2012 13:37 | By superunknown
Although I agree with the plight of the poor old teachers, surely their is a more professional way of making a case. How does prancing around a shopping mall change anything?
No-So-Flash Teachers
Posted on 12-11-2012 13:48 | By donmac
Surely these are part of the same crowd that turns out kids that can't read or write. When they are competent to give us a decent literate society, they will have my support. Until then, they can flash all they like: doing the same thing and expecting a different result is an axiom that teachers don't seem to recognise.
Rastus
Posted on 12-11-2012 15:13 | By rastus
It's the same old crap from a group of socialist's. If your system was any good then we would not have the terrible plight of so many illiterate children - or is that the Governments fault as well. It's about time you lot understood - you have a very simple job compared to the lot of teachers fifty years ago, but they got far better results than you get today without I may add all the zillions in resource to assist you. Class sizes of 40 - 50 were not an impediment to learning - concentrate on the important basic concepts of education (three Rs) and give away all your airy fairy, touchy feely, rubbish and both country and pupils will, be a lot better off.
Flashmob eh?
Posted on 13-11-2012 01:24 | By tibs
Flashmob in a uniform? Not really a flashmob, looks pre-organised. Flashmob at six venues? Yeah right! Flashmob with placards? Stretching things not a flashmob! I'm i agreement with the other three commenting people, too. A little bit of sawdust and they could have had a three ring circus.
Proud Parent
Posted on 13-11-2012 07:33 | By Michael-angelo
My son has just finished university as an 'A” student and has walked straight into a top IT job. Thanks to the excellent modern liberal education he got in Tauranga which taught him how to think 'outside the square” and adapt to a rapidly changing, challenging 21st Century. I compare that to the brutal repressive useless '3Rs” schooling I experienced 50 years ago, how I struggled to eventually succeed at university and the surprise that I am now considered a leader in my profession.
And yet they actually passed Tacher Traing School!
Posted on 13-11-2012 10:40 | By TheCameltoeKid
What is it with these bludgers. Anything National tries to do they have to shoot it down with all guns blazing. Ther're that thick they don't even realise how stupid they made themselves look in the process.These teachers are just immature little socialists who stamp their feet and pout their bottom lips because they don't get their way.
Socialists
Posted on 13-11-2012 16:49 | By Michael-angelo
In our extremely competitive capitalist system half of all children are set up to 'fail” so that the elite can 'succeed” and take all. Einstein failed at school because he could not comprehend such stupidity, and of course the disadvantaged simply give up all hope of success. In contrast my wife will tell you how wonderful growing up in Soviet Russia was because children were highly valued, they had the world's most advanced education, and every child looked forward to useful employment. I am a Kiwi successful in a very competitive business, but I don't think calling teachers 'socialists” is an insult - if we are talking about giving every child the ability to use their unique combination of talents to build a better future.
Yes - professionals!
Posted on 16-11-2012 09:27 | By penguin
To” The CameltoeKid '- what an appropriate name for someone with such a bigoted and warped view of teachers! You obviously did not read, let alone understand, the body of the report as to why these teachers have decided to make their collective voice heard. The description you gave of teachers shows your level of ignorance of our teachers and our education system. I suspect you did not have a very happy time at school so feel the need to launch into a pathetic rant. For the record teachers are dedicated professionals who are, first and foremost, there for the good of the students. If you had bothered to do some research, you will have noticed that teachers are standing up for the better good of young people and are simply pointing out to the 'tunnel-visioned” national government that nearly all the proposed 'changes” in education have failed in other countries (national standards, charter schools, performance pay, league tables and so on). Teachers are standing up on behalf of the kids they teach since they know that damage done to our world class education system will, inevitably, negatively affect the education of our young people. I strongly suggest that you lessen your level of ignorance by doing some reading about the failed systems which may help you understand why New Zealand teachers who are dedicated, hard working professionals, are taking the government to task. And they don't need people like you denigrating them! Here is a website worth looking at which shows why Finland, a world leading nation in education, is doing so well by valuing their teachers! http://www.pasisahlberg.com/blog/? p=234#comments
Action/Responsibility
Posted on 16-11-2012 13:08 | By penguin
For 'superunknown':- at least the teachers were doing something on behalf of kids in a fun type of way. Maybe they should have stood in a sombre group saying nothing or perhaps made no effort at all to uphold principles that they believe in? Seems that you are damned if you do and damned if you don't! And for "donmac": Have you ever contemplated that parents are also responsible for the kids that teachers teach? This fact seems to get easily overlooked (conveniently?) by many parents. So-called 'failure” to achieve cannot be laid solely at the feet of dedicated teachers....
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