Week 26

Week 26:  Socio-Economic Status of the Community, school culture and professional environments.

I teach in a low decile school in a low socio-economic area where all the issues that Gargiulo (2014) reported that disadvantage our students are still evident today and back further than I like to remember (when I started as a beginning teacher) the disadvantages of our students regardless of culture was discussed freely in the staffroom and it was the biggest reason why the students weren’t achieving.  It made me cringe than and it made me cringe again to be reminded of it at the beginning of his paper and it made it difficult for me to read on.  Thankfully I picked the paper up again with a different frame of mind and read through to the end. 

Gargiulo states that “children born into economic hardship are immediately disadvantaged,” their SES (socio economic status) impacts on their ability to partake in the basics of school life due to their financial situations.  Along with that come health issues, hunger, transportation, and unsafe living conditions affecting our tamariki’s mental, social and emotional wellbeing.  Yep that’s how it is. 

 I have to say I’m proud to be able to note the changes that have been made over time to support our tamariki in a safe and caring environment (I mean that from the bottom of my heart).  Our entire staff is at our school because they care and believe they make a difference. Trust me it isn’t easy but it is possible. 

Whilst we are very aware of the homes our tamariki come from I’m proud to say our school has put in place numerous support systems to meet the needs of all our tamariki to give them the best advantage possible to learn in a safe and caring environment.  Stationery is provided by the school, purchase agreements for uniform and other school events are negotiated with the principal.  We have the support of Duffy books in schools, Health Nurses, Counselling services (that liason with school, students and their whanau) and our Nit buster lady tries to keep on top of this issue weekly.  Fruit and milk in schools are provided daily and there is back up for school lunches from Kids Can.  The list is endless and we all work very hard to provide an environment that is focused on the achievement and nurturing of our students to become lifelong learners and contribute to society in a positive and confident way in the future as cited in The New Zealand Cirriculum (2007).    

Stoll (1998), states that “school culture is one of the most complex and important concepts in education.   She continues to explain that a “culture is the “glue” that holds everyone together.”

A school culture is made up of values, traditions, behaviour, norms, beliefs and priorities.  It is driven by all the stakeholders in the organisation.  While it is unique to each school it is often described as the feeling rather than something that is measured or assessed by ticking boxes or passing tests.  It’s kind of difficult to describe a school culture when I’m immersed in it and have been for a long time.

The majority of our staff has remained the same for several years with changes being made mostly in management positions.  We are a small school in a low socio-economic area where the culture of the students has a bearing on our school culture.  I say that with tongue in cheek because while the students culture is very important and respected, it differs from the school culture in that the values, traditions, behaviours and expectations for our students are for them to become active, confident and connected members of society.  Visitors to our school are often reported to have said “there is a lovely feeling in this school.”  This I am happy to agree with as it hasn’t happened overnight but it has happened and continues to be work in progress at all times. 

  Recently our whole staff attended “The Incredible Years for Teachers” that put us all in the same boat refreshing lots of what we knew and changing some mindsets and attitudes towards our behaviour management and in turn the culture of our school.  We study and discuss different values every term to reinforce positive interactions.

While I agree with Stoll that “a schools culture is shaped by its history, context and the people in it,” my view of our school culture is that while is appears to remain the same as far as the people in it are concerned changes have occurred for the betterment of all.  New staff and students who have been immersed in different school cultures bring with them different values and ideals that require consideration and make a difference to our culture as we jostle to accommodate them.

 

This term saw the end of a longstanding member of our staff in a leadership role that had a great influence on our school culture and we will begin our ongoing journey with a new senior leader bringing a different style and ideas to our school.  I look forward to changes and after the study I have almost completed I feel sure I will welcome change as a continuum of my learning.  

Ministry of Education (2007)., The New Zealand Curriculum.  Learning Media Limited., Wellington New Zealand.

Stoll L., (1998) School Culture., Department of Education, University of Bath.  Reprinted from School Improvement Network’s Bulletin, No. 9, Autumn 19981 Institute of Education, University of London 

Gargiulo QSO S., September (2014) Principal Sabbatical Report