Stuart Middleton’s EDTalkNZ article of 4 April http://www.stuartmiddleton.co.nz/?p=1391 asks if education can hold its head up high and say that we are doing our best and addressing the issue of preparing young people for jobs. He writes; “I am frustrated by the unwillingness of education systems to accept that the key purpose of each stage of formal education is to prepare students for the next stage of their lives – education, eventually being a responsible adult, and, yes, finally getting a job. “  Read More...

There was a time when I was a primary school teacher. I started back as a young man in the mid 80s and spent some years teaching in a South Auckland Intermediate School. In my first year I taught Year 8 (Form 2) and from day one had 36 in my class. As a pretty green young fellow straight out of school and tertiary study it was rather a shock to the system. That first year of teaching was a stunning introduction to the realities of NZ society. It almost killed me and was a critical factor in my seeking answers to the problems of the world, a journey that ended with me finding Jesus. Over the next few years I continued to teach classes of about 35 students. I also got to know other teachers, and, despite what is being claimed, without doubt class size affects teaching quality – the more students you have to work with, the harder it is to maintain educative quality.  Read More...

Note: This blog piece is inspired by Dr Di Scouller’s PhD – Back to the Future: An Investigation of the Curriculum Model Adopted by the Association of Classical and Christian Schools – awarded Sept 23, 2011 from Macquarie University in Sydney. Read More...