Education Today Student Voice 2019 Edition by Education Today / Learning Auckland / Student Voice

STUDENT VOICE

EDUCATIONTODAY 2018 Spring 2019

. Education Today, established 1989

con -tents

01 Part of my life - CHARLOTTE COLLINS Editorial 01 No roof over head - MONISHA LOULANTING 02 The choice is yours - RUBY MURPHY 02 Vox Pops 03 - 05 Triggerfin Comic - GUS MITCHELL 06 Share the love, and the money - ASINATE SULUKA 07 Homework gets pass and fail - ANNABEL AITKEN 08 Mixed bag with NCEA - ALICE WALDOW 09 Triggerfin continued 10 - 11 Portrait of a social artist - THE LINDA WHITTAKER INTERVIEW 11 Tough transition - CORNELIUS AUPITO 12 - 13 Triggerfin Continued 14 Online safety starts with you - RUBY MURPHY 14 Tipani scent lingers yet - SAINTS TUITAMA 15 Triggerfin continued 16 On the ball - RUBY, MACKENZIE, INDI 16 Plastic whale warning - MACKENZIE JACKSON 17 Truth and fiction share lifes canvas - MONISHA LOULANTING 18 - 19 Loosing my mind to find peace - CHARLOTTE COLLINS 19 Show me the way ofF the couch - LYDIA MATHEW 20 - 21 Fitness is fun - LUKAS TURNER 21 Money coins the myth - MARK TAUTELE 22 How bad friends are built - ANNABEL AITKEN 23 Priceless market skills - NATALIA NOONE-JONES 23 Living with illness - INDI BOTTING 24 Celebrating suffrage - MACKENZIE JACKSON 24 Allergy alert - LUKAS TURNER 25 Screening our screen time - NATALIA NOONE-JONES

GUS MITCHELL Writer and comic artist Kia ora, I’m based in Wellington, New Zealand. My writing work has been primarily for the Victoria University student magazine Salient. I was a feature writer in 2015, and I wrote the science column Super Science Trends in 2017 and 2018, commenting on the innovation of artificial wombs, the ethics of self-driving cars, and incorporating indigenous knowledge into scientific practise. Link to my cartoons and other work: gusmitchelldotnet.wordpress.com

Bumper edition 2019 Currently one bumper edition each year with increased editions as required or by request at the discretion of the editorial consultants. Inquiries and student contributions welcome. Publisher Education Today Limited www.educationtoday.co.nz ISSN 1175 9240 Advertising & Sponsorship For editorial packages, sponsorship, advertising and insert rates, media specs and general enquiries contact 0277344756 Subscriptions & Koha We welcome your support for this unique student voice. For more information contact Education Today pro bono editorial consultants 0277344756 Cover Cover art from ‘Triggerfin’ comic by Gus Mitchell, writer and comic artist based in Wellington, New Zealand. Education Today is independently owned and promotes creative, stimulating thoughts and ideas for the benefit of students and educators. Contributions are welcome, and contribution guidelines can be obtained from the editorial consultants 0277344756 These magazines are a vehicle for student perspectives on their education and matters they wish to write about. We accept student submissions in any language. Editorial consultants are available to meet with student writing groups. Artwork copyright remains the property of the student and it is accepted that artwork is submitted to be shown on the Education Today website with the permission of the authors. To submit artwork, see the website or email geoff.vause@gmail.com Education Today content is copyright, but may be published elsewhere after gaining consent from the publishers. All care but no responsibility taken for loss or damage. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the writers. Education Today and COMET Auckland wish to thank designers Emma Vause and Leila Bailey-Moore for their invaluable contribution to this magazine. We also wish to acknowledge the contribution of Susan Warren and COMET Auckland.

EDUCATIONTODAY

Editorial August 2019

Part of my life This magazine has been a part of my life for the past six years. I started writing for it while I was in my final year of high school, and now I have reached my final year of university. As such, this is the last issue of the magazine I am writing for. It has changed a lot in the years I have been involved, and lots of students have come through the doors over that time. Every single one has brought their own views, concerns and ideas through the door. We’ve had conversations ranging from student kissing to bullying, educational reform to student leadership.

This magazine serves as a platform to those who are often shut out of the conversation on education. It allows students to say whatever they want, express frustrations, suggest recommendations and most importantly, speak. I am so grateful to this magazine for giving me the chance to speak about how I see the world, and what I would like to see changed. It has given me confidence to speak up, and to trust in my writing and work. I’ve learned to always question what people say, and make sure you see all sides of the story. I’ve seen some incredible

students come through, and write pieces that have their heart on the page. Though I may no longer be writing for the magazine, I will still be an avid reader. The message the magazine sends is so important; that youth voice matters. And it always will. Charlotte Collins University of Auckland

No roof overhead MONISHA LOULANTING is concerned about homelessness in New Zealand.

“We cannot pretend the homeless are invisible and will eventually go away.” H

omelessness is not only about looking for shelter and food.

Most of us may consider the basic needs of a homeless person without thinking beyond those needs. For example, they could be ill with a deadly disease and they have no family to rely on for money or taking them to the doctors. Sometimes when you focus on the basic needs, you forget about what’s important. A homeless person who has nothing but the clothes they had before they were homeless may want or need nothing more than a comfortable place to stay. When you’re in a situation where you struggle financially you want the easy way out. But the things you do to get money, like borrowing from a friend or family member, and high-interest loans often lead to being broke and bad credit, debt and if it gets worse, maybe even homelessness. Whenever I see a homeless person many

questions come to mind. Where are they going to sleep tonight? Did they have anything to eat? Are they warm? Ignoring the homeless, turning the other way, just makes me sad because we don’t know the struggles homeless people face. It is understandable if you don’t have enough money to give, but it doesn’t matter about the amount you give because to the homeless it’s all they’ve got. Those who are selfish with their money and may wonder what they are going to spend their money on. Are they going to spend their money wisely? Often those who are selfish with their money are the ones who struggle the most. We cannot pretend the homeless are invisible and will eventually go away. We all need to help each other and we can start by donating clothes and shoes we no longer use to the Salvation Army or organize a welfare cupboard to store canned or wrapped food that will last, placing it in the community so everyone is welcome. EducationToday.co.nz

Monisha Loulanting

The choice is yours RUBY MURPHY lays out life’s rich smorgasbord.

isdom.

What a wonderful word. But what does it really mean when it comes to the decisions you make in your life? Money, food, time, friends and keeping yourself safe are all areas in your life when wisdom comes in handy. What do you do if a friend spreads unkind rumours about you behind your back? What if there is a homework deadline?

Money Money. You know we all love it, but people can get hypnotised into buying things they don’t really need. A friend once said to me, “I buy too many things with my money that I actually don’t need.” And I agreed with her. Lots of things you see in shops look really cool, but some are just junk. In our family, we think about spending, saving and giving, which are three groups that we sort our money into. This helps me to think about what I really want and need.

Food Food, glorious food. The options of food choices are neverending. Some foods are healthy and give you energy, and other foods make you feel sluggish and tired. It’s up to you to keep yourself healthy by

x vpoops

eating well. Usually when I go to parties, I end up feeling sick. Now I try to stop eating when I’m full.

Time Time is precious, and you take control of it. If you have something to do, get it done so you can do whatever you want after it. Otherwise you’ll end up pressuring yourself to get it done last minute. Sometimes I don’t do my piano practice in the weekend and pressure myself to get lots of it done on Monday. It doesn’t feel good and I always regret it.

Health and Safety When it comes to smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs, the decisions you make can have more serious consequences. Brain researcher Nathan Wallis showed drinking alcohol and taking drugs while you’re a teenager leads to damaged brain cells. In my opinion, choosing to smoke is an unhealthy choice. It can lead to lung cancer and addiction. I don’t know about you, but I want to live a long life. Take care of yourself.

If you decide to go out with your friends at night and you feel tired while you’re out, don’t stay up all night long. By the morning you’ll feel as if you’ve had no sleep at all.

Overall, every choice you make leads to a positive or negative consequence. You hold the steering wheel. You take control of your life.

Friends

Why go down spending street, when you can go down saving street?

Friendship is one of the most important things in your life.

Here are some quotes about wisdom that could help you in the future Some friends you meet in school could still be friends with you when you’re 99. “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man Making the right choices with ‘who to be healthy, wealthy and wise” - Benjamin your friend’ is important. Franklin A bad friend might tell people your secrets, “Wisdom comes through exploring life’s think they are better than you, laugh at you choices and the consequence of those and push you to do things you don’t want choices” - my mum. to do. “Do now what your future you will thank A good friend might encourage you, tell you for” - Maxime Lagace you you’re good at stuff, be lots of fun and play not just with you but your other How different this world would be if friends as well. everyone made wise choices?

Improving student wellbeing Education Today writers offer their opinions on what educators and the Government can do to help create a better learning environment.

By Annabel Aitken

ow do you think we can stop teacher stress? Teachers are putting stress on children, help them and support them.

Lukas Turner

How are you affected by teachers not noticing you? Well, I have never not been noticed. Teachers can improve student wellbeing by 1. Making the students feel safer i.e. reducing the number of bullies. 2. Mixing up the PE activities i.e. not just soccer – basketball. 3. Give more support to autistic people. We can help by 1. Reducing the number of bullies in our community, 2. Support teachers, 3. Help school fundraisers.

Mackenzie Jackson

Schools should try and reduce bullies because bullies are making students feel bad about themselves, bad about what they wear and even bad about their culture. Stopping bullying can change the life of many kids.

Indi Botting

Some people are always doing the right thing but never get recognised for it. As when others, who aren’t always doing the right thing, suddenly do something amazing they always get recognised.

Ruby Murphy

Kids value being seen and heard, not ignored. They need to have the opportunity to show their talents and do what they enjoy, while still learning the basic subjects in school. No kid should be under too much pressure with tests and homework. Schools should encourage kids to achieve their goals and enjoy each and every minute of their day.

Asinate Suluka

To make sure schools are promoting students’ wellbeing in all learning experiences by providing an environment and curriculum that support students to develop knowledge, understanding and skills to manage their own health and wellbeing and to support that of

others. Being surrounded by different nationalities in school is a good opportunity for students to learn so much from each other’s lifestyle and to learn respect.

Sepoima Grace Time It’s been a difficult feeling for me to join an overseas high school and observing difficult students with their different values. There are several different cultures and communities and sometimes students act like these are more important than working together. With what I have seen in my school over the last few weeks, it seems like we have a segregated school even though our school prides itself with being a place of diversity. I feel that it is the responsibility for both the board and government to create something to help unify all races to help better our understanding of others.

EducationToday.co.nz



qâ&#x20AC;&#x201E;EducationToday.co.nz

EducationToday.co.nzâ&#x20AC;&#x201E;

Share the love, and the money ASINATE SULUKA believes power belongs to the people and effective local government is one of its voices.

ocal government wins some praise from Otahuhu College principal Neil Watson.

Mr Watson says transport and cycleways are among recent achievements, and the “work they’ve done with the foyer library is important for the community, and the whole recreation centre”. The principal sees other issues as well. He says the council has “working and hiring” challenges. He says South Auckland needs to get the same resources as other parts of Auckland, especially in technology. Mr Watson believes there is a lack of equity where the use of rates income is concerned. He says more money is spent in Central Auckland per person while the south side of Auckland gets much less per head. Mr Watson says the council needs to be more proactive in promoting all the great things about South Auckland. He says fantastic things happen and are achieved every day that can be put down, overshadowed, by one or two negative things. “I think the council needs to be really proactive and really highlight what a great community it is,” Mr Watson says. I agree. As someone who lives in South Auckland, it feels unfair when we get hardly recognised, and when we do its usually for something bad. That’s unfair on our reputation. We are more than the image of a fight on the front page of the NZ Herald.

Every suburb or district in Auckland should be provided with the same amount of resources and the same amount of attention in every location, and this includes those who are disabled because they need more attention than those who are not. The community needs more investment to flow down from the Auckland Council. One

Effective local government varies across the country, and across the city. Benjamin Hudson, geography teacher

“local government should help . . . by allowing students to explore Auckland at an affordable cost.” of the initiatives in Otahuhu was to build the new library and leisure center, and this gives a focal point for the community but can also be quite a deficit culturally. The way Auckland is layered out now, and the way people live in certain areas can serve to separate different parts of Auckland. East Aucklanders are skeptical about people who live in West and South Auckland, and even people who live in South Auckland can hold a negative view of themselves and where they live. This prejudice against another section of society and other areas can be due to social and economic reasons mixed with different cultural backgrounds. “Auckland Council can do a lot more to make people aware Auckland is a multicultural society. There is a ghetto mentality,” Mr Andrew says.

Asians live in Meadowlands, Pacific people live in South Auckland, white people live in North Shore and there Mr Watson says local government is a feeling you get as though you “should become more responsible for the don’t belong in certain parts of the city. people and community” but to do this As a teacher, Mr Andrew thinks there our local government must have things should be change in the education system. happen, like listening to the people Too often schools are demarcated as a and community to plan for making a difference and showing our diversity. Maori school, this is a White school, an Asian school, a Polynesian Island school. Since Auckland became a big city, we now get a big centralized government. It does not necessarily always serve the needs “I would like to see more mixing in cultural diversity,” Mr Andrew says. of the outlining areas of the city, such as Otahuhu, Otara and Mangere. Otahuhu College is a good example of how different cultures can come together and The CBD (Central Business District) gets a preserve their own individual identity yet lot of resources and attention more than within a more Polynesian culture and bring other areas in Auckland. the best of all cultures together. John Andrew, a history teacher at Otahuhu College, says “I live in East Howick and “There’s too much attitude toward being tolerant of other cultures instead of a we have to rely on our own local Howick celebration of other cultures.” Tolerant Council rather than the Auckland Council to get local issues sorted.” means ‘to put up with’.

q EducationToday.co.nz

I agree with Mr Andrew. I don’t think we should be putting up with anything, I think we should be celebrating the best of everything.

0^ EducationToday.co.nz

of Otahuhu College, says “I think the

local government has been very good in communicating in some areas in Auckland City and not so good in Otara”. We need improvements in communication between the local government and its communities. This includes more meetings with the community members and more visits to community groups, asking the people who are there what the community really needs. “I think the important role the council should take is being the main representatives of the local board areas,” Mr Hudson says. Mr Hudson sees a need for improvements in education as well. “I want them to improve the pathways [to further education and jobs] for students leaving school.” I agree. This might be students leaving after year 13 or maybe students leaving after year 12 and making sure that they have pathways and career options they can get into. This should not be limited to university but should include a variety of different opportunities for those who couldn’t make it into university. “The government should provide more extracurricular and outside opportunities,” Mr Hudson says. This might be based on sporting opportunities, community events and bringing the community closer together in Otahuhu and other local board areas. I think that is missing. Two students from Otahuhu College explain their journey from year 1 to year 12.

April Heffernan went to Fairburn Primary School and Madison Leilua went to Flat Bush Primary School from year 1 to year 6. They say local government should be doing the best they can for the kids’ safety in primary all the way to college. April says bullying in schools is rife and this must change. Madison says social workers should be in primary schools. “We need to change this for the better, making sure kids feel comfortable and safe. Some teachers are unaware of this and the rules in school should be strict.” Year 7 to year 8, April attended Otahuhu Intermediate School and Madison attended Ferguson Intermediate School. They agree there are “good teachers and many opportunities” which indicates the government was doing its job. However, the parks in schools are quite unsafe and children can be in danger because of the materials they use for the playgrounds. The most important factors in evaluating the safety of any playground are proper surface, design and spacing, and

equipment inspection and maintenance. Year 9 to year 12, April and Madison are attending Otahuhu College. Both students say there is a lack of opportunities for trips away from school to experience the wider world.

in schools for the students’ safety. One example is Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate. As a Collegiate it is a safe boundary and better for families, because primary, intermediate and college are all in one boundary, location, or property.

Many families cannot afford school trips. April and Madison say local government should help the community to improve not just out of school but within as well, by helping students to explore Auckland at an affordable cost.

This makes it easier for families because you don’t have to buy a new uniform every year unlike some other schools.

The education system also must change a little for the students. April says, “some teachers don’t put in the effort to help the students”. I agree with April. Central government should do their best for the student’s future. Some teachers don’t bother to teach the students step by step, and some just talk and sit down. These teachers need to be trained properly. This must change not only for the students but also for the families. Local government could make a change

Otahuhu Primary is far away from Otahuhu Intermediate and intermediate is far away from Otahuhu College. They are all located in the same suburb but in different areas. This can be difficult for parents and families because they must buy new uniforms and enroll as a new student, however it is also hard to get all three schools together, because you must get heaps of money and a big property to get this new creation. I want to see local government playing a much stronger role in how our schools are set up and managed.

Homework gets pass and fail ANNABEL AITKEN canvases the plus and minus attitudes to homework.

“I

don’t really like homework.”

Most students would agree with this statement from Mrs Forgy, one of the teachers at Flanshaw Road School.

“It really should just be reading for the junior school, nothing else” says Miss Wang, who works in Ti Koka class. Why make high school kids do even harder stuff on weekends? I heard a radio report about a teenager who wrote a letter to his teacher saying stuff roughly like: “The weekends should be my time and my time only” and “it’s not fair when I expect to get a break off school and then I get homework.” I’m completely on his side. No one should have so much stress put on them. The funny thing is, his teacher gave him an A+ for not doing homework and making a brilliant letter convincing her to stop giving homework on weekends. “I hated homework,” says my dad, Phillip. “I agree with the kid on the radio.”

worse, believe it or not. It gets them too involved and they forget everything they’ve done. This is the bad side in homework, but we can move on something more positive. Homework teaches your children to spend time wisely, instead of playing Fortnite or spending time on phones, they will learn to use their brain for once (and hopefully, forever). They get some independence in life. If they don’t need your help, don’t take that badly, take it well, it means they won’t rely on people to do stuff for them. It can also help them get ready for the next class, so they have all afternoon to research stuff for tomorrow and put their hand up all the time. Remember not to give them too much though, teachers. Parents can see what their child is learning in class, they can understand what they are up against. Parents can often have better communication with their child than the child’s teacher. If the kid doesn’t want to learn or is badly behaved, then homework can make sure the parents help them, because children usually respond better to mums and dads.

My dad is a strong person and is mostly responsible, so I was surprised to hear that come out of his mouth. I guarantee that’s how most people feel when they get homework, half of the teachers I interviewed only wanted reading, history, English, all the important things for you in life. All of this is important but instead of talking about teachers and students’ views, let’s talk about the parents’ views on homework.

“I would rate homework 0/10,” Mrs Forgy says, with a hint of cheek.

One parent with a good argument says it leads to too much stress and sleep loss, after school should be a time to relax and have fun.

“I’d give it 7/10, because it does do some good in the mind, body and is good too because it gets their hands working,” says Angela, one of the school librarians.

Another dad says it affects family time, but if the parents are doing dishes or something, that’s a chance to do your homework.

“I would give it 9/10,” says Mrs Lowe, who absolutely loves it.

I have a few thoughts on homework. Some children need help and some parents work full-time, so there is no source of help. No company, some parents are too poor to get computers and phones, they pay for education instead. When parents are out working, and you’re stuck on something, you have no company or help. If you give the kids too much homework, it can make their learning

Parents can help the child’s positivity to grow and encourage them to learn, because parents are persuasive.

“I think school time is enough and I honestly don’t see any point, some kids don’t even do it, so it’s also a waste of paper.”

“My parents gave me extra and I think that really helped me because now I’m a teacher. I also don’t have to give it or mark it, because I’m the music teacher and a reserve, so I love it.” I don’t expect my teachers to be convinced by this. The class next door to mine, Harakeke, only gets spelling, not really homework. Choose your side.

EducationToday.co.nz EducationToday.co.nz

EducationToday.co.nz

Mixed bag in NCEA changes ALICE WALDOW reviews the impact of internal and external assessment on students.

CEA’s most recent overhaul means a great deal to the students subject to it.

As a student who will be going into year 13 next year, I am worried about the new changes. It’s true, most of these changes are positive. Some of these include more fairness for Maori students, and the scrapping of curriculum fees.

aren’t as formulaic as answering a physics paper or chemistry test. They extend thinking, encourage creativity and allow the student to gain enjoyment from learning.

This makes the system more accessible. Yet, there are a few problems, the most troublesome being the increase in external standards and limitation of resubmissions.

Several people in my year level at school have voiced their concerns. Sabreen Islam says, “internals are a better judge of actual thinking and are closer to what we’ll experience outside of school.” Grace David says, “I find internals have less pressure. They’re more lenient and not as standardised. There’s more diversity to make things interesting.”

The new 50/50 split of internal to external standards occurred to help lessen the workload for teachers. However, it may not actually reduce the amount of work teachers face. Practice papers must be written and marked in preparation for these exams.

Emphasis on exams at the end of the year can also result in an accumulation of pressure for students. Maybe they haven’t achieved enough credits or aren’t confident going into the end of year exam. Their endorsement may be entirely dependent on their externals.

These extra externals must also be marked, and who tends to do the marking? The teachers. This change only seems to redistribute the workload rather than reduce it.

This can vary from pupil to pupil but should have been a consideration. Some people do not perform well when placed in an exam room for three hours and told to regurgitate information. Some externals seem to rely on memory rather than broadening critical and creative thinking.

For the students, myself included, internals are a great way to receive feedback. They

Another big change to the NCEA system is the removal of resubmissions for anything above Not Achieved. The student body also had a few comments about this. Arabella Loveridge and Gabby Sumner shared a comment: “NCEA just wants more people to pass and are cutting off those who want to succeed.” and, “if they’re going to do resubmissions, it should be available for all on a grade boundary, or not at all.” Summer Edwards also gave her view. “If people didn’t understand the internal initially and have the ability to do better, then that opportunity should be available.” All of these students’ vocal concerns make the next few years seem quite intimidating. External standard difficulties loom on the horizon. Stressful final submissions for internals threaten and could change overall student performance. It seems to me the students should have had a louder voice in this decision. Internals and their flexibility and collaborative nature will be sorely missed.

EducationToday.co.nzâ&#x20AC;&#x201E;

THE LINDA WHITTAKER INTERVIEW

Portrait of a social artist LINDA WHITTAKER has written for Education Today for several years, with her interviews including OECD researcher Andreas Schleicher and NZ’s Dr Graham Stoop. Here she uncovers acclaimed portrait artist, Tatyana Kulida’s ambitious Antarctica project.

Q: Was learning English difficult or was it part of your everyday

atyana Kulida is a Russian born contemporary realist painter and a former drawing and painting instructor at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. Tatyana lives in Wellington, New Zealand.

Q: Many of our readers are students. In words a 14-yearold would understand, briefly tell me what you do.

life growing up?

A: English was certainly not part of everyday life because at home we spoke Russian. My parents didn’t speak English although they had some basic German, that was their extended foreign language. I went to a specialist school where we started learning English

Geologist Peter Barrett

LindaWhittaker

A: I am a professional portrait painter. I tell these people’s stories when I paint their portraits. In this series each one has a connection with the Antarctic, bringing the environment and their personal attributes to life. The person is sitting right next to me, engaging in conversation. By the end of the work I know the person properly. I also teach classical drawing and painting here at my studio. The portrait that appears in this interview is Dr Jane Goodall, a worldrenown dermatologist. Dr Jane Goodall is a very important figure in sustainability and has started Jane Goodall foundation here in New Zealand. The Foundation is now global. Dr Jane Goodall helps us address issues such as biodiversity.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your childhood and education. A: As a child, I grew up in the Ukraine. I left when I was seventeen. I grew up having an interest in the piano. I played piano for 11 years, from the age of six to sixteen. I enjoyed playing piano a lot as it was a big part of my life. Although I didn’t pursue the profession later, it certainly installed some sense of discipline which I was able to draw on when I became interested into realist painting. I also have a varied of knowledge in journalism, much like yourself. At 17 I ran an English newspaper at my high school, writing, editing and putting the newspaper together. I travelled to a small town called Slivodghe. This town was built because of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown where many people suffered. It was the home of this young journalists’ festival, where teams would come together from various cities and put together the newspaper. I wrote many articles and I remember getting declined for a Bill Clinton interview in the 90’s. I gained some experience and skills. I took an interest in physics and encyclopaedia, and I then travelled to America where I studied for my undergraduate degree in computer science and visual arts. I began realist painting 21 years ago. I travelled to Italy several times and eventually returned to Italy to live. It seemed like for good as I wanted to get the real foundations of the education for how to represent the world around us on paper because I realized through my undergraduate papers in America I had never received instructions on how to reproduce a believable human body. I had to go back and start from the beginning when I was twenty-nine. I moved with my daughter, Jacqueline, who was two or three at the time. Those were the best years of my life.

in the first grade. I started learning English as I went along with my education. Although the lessons were taught in Russian, we had a certain amount of hours of English per week, which were increased. By the time I was in High School I was quite good at it. I would go to regional competitions with my English knowledge, although I was shy which wasn’t very effective. In the end it all came in handy when I applied for scholarships to go study in America. I attended boarding school for a year and then went to university. This opened up my world and my travels as English was my connection to the world around me.

Q: Did your early education play a part in you becoming a portrait painter? If so, how? Were there any specific motivations or people that have inspired you to become a portrait painter? A: I have always had an interest in people. The journalism in my education and interests when I was in high school comes through the portraits because, in a way, I am learning about the person,

1) EducationToday.co.nz

Tatyana Kulida painting Dr Jane Goodall.

understanding what’s important and characteristic of them what’s their story? As I developed the skills of realist painting my goal was to keep getting better and better. The more portrait paintings I was doing the more stories I was able to visualize through a portrait drawing. I could also relate to the practice of what comes with it and stayed with it as I sort of knew what I was in for with my academic education. Overall, my education came together with my profession later.

Q: Why did you come to New Zealand? How has that helped or shaped your career? A: I already had two children at the time, my one-year-old and three-year old. When I became pregnant with my third child, my husband and I knew we had to move somewhere to provide for our children. Being a traveller, my husband told me New Zealand was the best place on earth. I was then convinced and thought it would be a great idea. My husband and I went through excruciating process of the skill migrant application. A year later we were here.

Q: As an art teacher, how do you inspire and guide your students? A: I inspire students by example as I am teaching students in my studio, I think it’s very special. It’s special because it’s not removed into an institution where art is an idea or skill to be obtained or

used. It’s a living, a way of life. My students know I live at the studio and I spend majority of the time here. My students can see my dedication and how inspired I am to be their teacher.

Q: Do your portrait subjects sit for you, or do you work from photographs? A: Most of my portrait subjects will sit for me. I highly encourage that, even in stressful times and schedules. The former prime minster (who?) found time to sit for me on multiple occasions. Most of the work you see in the studio is 99 per cent painted from real life. As you take a proper look at the portraits you can see the real image. Some people respond to something they like or love in my work because it is painted from real life.

Q: Your Portrait of Antarctica project seems ambitious. Tell us about it and what you hope to achieve. A: Overall, what I hope to achieve with the Portrait of Antarctica project is a series of exhibitions, including at the Department of Conservation and the Parliament exhibition space Bowen House, and media coverage of my project, for most of which I already have letters of support. Through the stories told in my portraits, relevant artefacts, and the melting sculpture of Antarctica I am hoping to share the urgency for climate change mitigation with the general public and inspire action on all levels, from the government to the individual.

Tough transition - Cornelius Aupito The transition of year 10 going into year 11 may seem easy. You’re just moving up a year level, and the work is going to be similar to what you’ve learnt before. I know that’s not how everyone sees it, but to me, that was how I pictured it. Oh

man, I couldn’t be more wrong. From my personal experience so far, the transition for me has been a struggle. Every week there’s always an assessment that’s due, every week there is a deadline to be met. It’s just everywhere for me at the moment,

there are times where I can’t keep track of my own work and where I’ve put my effort into. Just to say, I wasn’t prepared. I played it ‘casual’. We need a better system for the transition of year 10 into 11.

qâ&#x20AC;&#x201E;EducationToday.co.nz

EducationToday.co.nzâ&#x20AC;&#x201E;

Online safety starts with you RUBY MURPHY underlines simple steps to internet safety. Cyberbullying is bullying online using sites or apps such as Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and what’s App.

magine . . . a world without the internet. Wouldn’t it be crazy?

We could live without the internet, but it would mean we wouldn’t have social media, cool games, YouTube, Google, and much more. The internet is so much fun. On sites such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and snapchat, you can talk to people you know, and talk to people in other countries such as Indonesia, Scotland, and Australia. You can listen to music. Music makes you happy and puts you in a wonderful place. Some games can be educational, and all games are fun. The possibilities are endless on the internet, but it can still be dangerous. One dangerous thing about the internet is cyberbullying.

People can be mean and post embarrassing, untrue, or hurtful messages and pictures. Imagine squeezing out a whole tube of toothpaste onto a plate. Can you put it back? I don’t think so. This is an example of how you can’t take words back. Cyberbullying can be hard to recognise. You never know if someone around you has been bullied. Another reason the internet could be dangerous is hacking. Hacking is when someone gets into your computer and steals personal information. I once got hacked. One day I went on my computer playing a game, and realised my tokens had been spent, and my buddies were random people I didn’t know. I remember telling my password to one person, but really, I shouldn’t have. There are many ways to be safe online. Before you even touch a computer, ask a parent if the site you want to go on is OK.

There are safe search engines such as Kidrex, which are kid friendly. Sharing passwords or personal information is not a good idea. If someone posts something mean, or hurtful about you, make sure you block them, and tell a parent or teacher. There are also help lines that you can ring, such as Youthline and Lifeline. At Flanshaw road school we have a digital citizenship agreement, which encourages us to be our best selves online. We do this by being responsible, honest, respectful of people’s privacy, and communicating with others in positive ways. It is important to treat others the way you want to be treated. Not just offline, but online as well. Overall, the internet can be fun and dangerous. It’s your responsibility to keep yourself safe online. Be careful of what you say and do. If you, or someone you know is feeling unsafe, do something about it.

Tipani scent lingers yet Saints Tuitama captures loss, and life.

s soon as I heard the words “she has passed away” my soul had escaped my body.

Rushing my father to immediately take me to my nana’s house, I could barely shout clear demands as tears were racing down my face making it hard for me to breathe properly. Sirens and flashing red and orange lights were all a blur as my puffy eyes had expanded ten times more arriving to my nana’s white house which now looked like a dull grey reflecting in the night sky. Ignoring the high pitched screams and crying I made my way straight into the lounge room manoeuvring my way through nurses, little toddlers who had no idea what was going on, and family members crunching their bodies on the ground looking restless, for proof as I could not believe the horrible news that I had been told despite the depressing environment I was already in. There she was, my nana who I grew up calling mum, my heart in human form, peacefully laying on the vibrant Cook Island mats she had delicately woven herself for the lounge floor. Nurses were touching all over her body, doing tests and checks, but my eyes were fixed upon my beautiful nana peacefully resting like an angel inside her lounge room, her comfort zone. In that moment I felt a sense of acceptance knowing that nana had finally found rest. Her lounge was her kingdom. It was a room full of life. A room that never slept. Pictures of only the happiest moments of my nana’s life standing lively on the walls that were once white, now covered with vivid marks designed by my little cousins and I who thought nana’s white walls were a perfect canvas for our creative masterpieces of self-portraits when we were young.

q EducationToday.co.nz

Out of all the what seemed like hundreds of pictures hanging on nana’s wall, my favourite picture in her lounge had to be our family photo which sat right on top of nana’s chair. It was the family photo we took at papa’s unveiling, bordered by a thick silver frame. It was the only photo that included every single member of my family all squeezing to fit in the camera which seemed impossible. In the photo we are arranged in three rows, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren with nana right in the middle of us all. I loved this photo because you saw the true colours of our family mixed all into one, loud Islander laughter, crying, you can see arguments, with nana simply smiling in the middle of us, I’ve always been amazed at how one snapshot captured every little aspect of my family. The main thing I remembered my nanas lounge room was the variety of 21st keys that were aligned on a designated part of the chipped wall, 21st keys of all the people that my nana had raised and looked after through her lifetime. I remember looking at the 21st keys that night she had passed away, reflecting on all the people that were lucky enough to have been raised by nana. She was the most open and caring person I ever met. I chose to isolate myself from the bleak house. Locking myself into nanas room, her sweet tipani scent lingered as I sulked on her bed. Nana would never miss a day where she wouldn’t bathe herself in her Cook Island oil fresh from the islands, every time I gave her a hug the aura of paradise would hover my face reminding me of home. I closed my eyes, and a vision of her beautiful yet wrinkly face took over my mind. In that moment, I admired every little detail on nana’s face.

1$ EducationToday.co.nz

EducationToday.co.nzâ&#x20AC;&#x201E;

On the ball

The whistle blows. The game begins. Ali Riley kicks the ball to Alexa Morgan. She dribbles up the field and scores. The crowd goes wild. Our names are RUBY, MACKENZIE and INDI, and we are going to tell you why soccer is a great sport for girls.

ver the years more women have started to play soccer and more people have supported them, which has encouraged more people to play. But we have noticed more boys play soccer than girls. We interviewed a few people and gathered as much information as possible. We play soccer, and we all really enjoy it, but we have noticed that there are so many more boys’ teams than girls’ teams and we were wondering why. We went and interviewed a few people who we thought could tell us more about girls’ soccer. Kathy Hohepa (treasurer and involved with the juniors at Te Atatu AFC) says she has been involved in the club since 2006 when her youngest boy was in 4th grade, so this is her nineteenth soccer season. We asked her what has improved since she started.

“Our club has been growing steadily and there is a good club atmosphere,” Kathy says. “We usually have lots of helpful parents willing to volunteer to help with coaching and running the club.” “We used to only have one or two girls in each age group. Back in 2009 we had a 17th grade girls’ team that had players aged from 14-17 years.

“In 2015 we had seven girls in the 9th grade teams and four of them are still playing in 13th grade this year. The first time we had a 9th grade girls’ team was in 2017. That year we also had a 12th grade team that was eight girls and four boys.”

they can join in soccer games at lunchtime at school, he thinks “this is a big one”.

Kathy says she would like to see more girls choosing soccer – they used to lose lots of girls to school netball. Having more girls in a year group means they can offer them the option of playing girls only or mixed teams.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is getting more popular, which he thinks is helping.

Kathy thinks girls can get a lot of benefits from soccer – team friendships, keeping active, general football skills. For girls who are very good players there is a better chance to get into high level teams compared to boys because not as many girls play.

Mike says there should be more publicity about women’s football stars (like Alex Morgan), teams and tournaments.

“Seeing their confidence to play and try things on the field grow. For example, seeing Mackenzie’s development over the last few years has been enjoyable,” Mike says. “Peppa last year and Amy this year have also been really cool to watch develop. Stella scoring a goal last game which was awesome.”

We asked him where he sees girls’ soccer Imagine being in the NZ Under 17’s team in the future: or Under 20’s team. Girls can build their confidence and skills by playing with other “Hopefully, getting the same attention girls. Playing in the mixed teams can be as men’s football. Girls and boys good too, especially when the boys under- playing soccer together at lunch times, estimate you and you can show them your I hope. Pathways to US colleges and skills. Mostly she thinks soccer is a fun apprenticeships at pro clubs for NZ game which is good for everyone. women’s soccer stars.” Mike O’Sullivan is one of the 10th grade soccer coaches for the girl’s teams. He has been coaching alongside his daughter for four years. He says they should feel like

We think soccer is a great sport that everybody should have a go at, especially girls. Don’t be afraid to get out there and try it.

Plastic whale warning MACKENZIE JACKSON sees a planet in peril.

e are killing our planet.

It’s rapidly dying with all the plastic waste we’re dumping.

We’ve ended up using more plastic than we should and now we can’t get rid of it. Plastic waste is ending up in the ocean and killing harmless animals. In Norway, a whale died because its stomach was filled plastic waste that had polluted the sea, they named it the plastic whale. We’ve come to rely on plastic and now it’s everywhere. Especially single use plastic, we use it once and then throw it out. Once we used and reuse glass bottles instead of plastic bottles for milk, why can’t we go back to that? It may be a bit harder than going to the supermarket

and buying milk, but at least it will help improve the environment. We really have to cut down on using single use plastic to help our planet. You can choose how you use plastic and think about whether there is an alternative. For example, for lunches instead of using plastic wrap for food you could use plastic containers or beeswax wraps, they are reusable and much better for the environment. We do have some choice over the things we buy and the plastic surrounding it. If you see something you want and it’s made of plastic, like a toy, or it’s surrounded with plastic, think twice before you buy it, think: ‘do I really need this, am I going to use this or can I buy this without plastic?’

1^ EducationToday.co.nz

What eventually happens to that toy? It eventually gets thrown away and it will then clog up one of our many landfills, taking years and years to break down. There are lots of things you can do as an individual to help but our government also needs to help. Recently the government stopped us using single use plastic bags, now we use reusable bags for shopping. This is a great help for the animals in the ocean because less plastic bags will end up in the environment. If we all do our part, we can make a big difference and keep our planet alive.

Artwork by Arthur Holt, Year 12 from Wellington High School.

Truth and fiction share life’s canvas MONISHA LOULANTING lets art illuminate life in her response to Children of Men from acclaimed director Alfonso Cuaron.

ilmmaker Alfonso Cuaron explores dystopia and destruction in his Children of Men, and sheds light on our own dilemmas.

The main visual and verbal technique used in this film are wide shot and diegetic sound. These techniques can help us understand the importance of equality and our own rights. A wide shot is used to show the dust and smoke while things are scattered all around. The diegetic sound (high key) of a screaming voice is heard, and it continues as the character Theo moves into another setting. This develops the idea dystopia and destruction, giving us insight to how dystopia and destruction affect individuals and society. The director uses these techniques to help us understand there is always that person or group of people who judge according to their color or race. This context helps me understand the importance of speaking up for what we believe in because we can help people find their voice so they know their rights and do

not feel pressured or controlled.

what the characters in the film are feeling.

It is important this is highlighted because everyone should know their rights, it might help them in the future or when they are getting accused of something they did not do.

This helps me understand the importance of hope and faith. They lost hope when baby Riccardo died but then they met Kee who was pregnant.

Other important visual and verbal techniques include mid shot and costume. Mid shot is used to show the character Theo asking his cousin Nigel for transit papers to transport Kee to a sanctuary out at sea where her child’s birth can help scientist save mankind. (a tiny bit more about the story here, so we have context. Not a lot, juts a brief outline of who the main characters are) The costuming in the film is old, dark and worn-out, reflecting the idea of mourning and depression. During this time the world lost its youngest person on the planet, Diego Riccardo, who was 18 years, 4 months, 20 days, 16 hours and 8 minutes old and because the human race has lost the ability of reproducing everybody loses hope. The director uses these techniques to create anxiety, and as a result the audience has the same feelings of anxiety replicating

EducationToday.co.nz

After 18 years of human infertility, Kee’s baby is a miracle to society. Cuaron’s techniques visual and verbal techniques and tools include two shot and music. The two shot is used to show Theo wrapping his arms around Kee and her baby while they are trying to escape the shooting. The music is sad because the world is at war, more people are dying, the population is collapsing. This allows the audience to understand the aspects more effectively and challenges us to think about how we might feel in the same situation. It is important for us to know our rights and speak up for what we believe in.

Losing my mind to find peace CHARLOTTE COLLINS discovers how to make her mind listen to her body.

“I think about how much time I spent spiralling in stress during high school and it saddens me.”

f I had to describe my approach to my education, it would definitely revolve around the word stress.

I’ve always been a stressor, mostly of my own source. I always pushed myself to be the best, get the best grades, work harder, work longer hours. And while for the most part it paid off, I began to realise the toll it was taking on my mind. To put this in context, I recently took a mindfulness course. This was a big leap for me, for the majority of my life I associated a lot of mindfulness practices like meditation with the idea of nature spirits and crystal healing. While they worked for some people, they were not a reality I believed in. However, I saw the impact mindfulness could have, and decided to give it a go. Though I only finished the course recently, it may be one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Mindfulness is all about focusing on how your body feels, accepting what is happening instead of trying to push it away. Being much more aware of everyday life, and impulses, and instead acting with purpose. Focusing on what you are actually feeling instead of the mixed signals ours brains try to send. It originated as a way to treat patients with chronic pain and has a rich history of evidence backing the practices. I wanted to do this because I knew my approach to study and life was not healthy or sustainable. I focused too much on preparing and planning for the future and worrying about preparing for every possible outcome. It meant I devoted most of my day to a future goal, and not living in that moment. It also meant that I focused much more in on my own world, sometimes obscuring the lives of those around me. I would become swamped and drowned by stress, trapped in a never-ending whirlpool, unable to fight my way out. After one assignment was done, my mind would shift to the next, and the

“I pushed myself to be the best. But it wasn’t worth it.” next. I pushed myself to make sure I excelled. It created a tunnel vision effect in my mind, I could only see the path to getting to that grade, to getting what I needed to get to the next stage of my life. I became ignorant of the people around me and how they felt, and how my constant state of pressure impacted on them. It got to the point where I would wake up tired everyday because I couldn’t sleep with the constant whirring in my mind of the to do list, the worries, the what ifs. I would wake up knowing that today was all about preparing for tomorrow, for next week, for next year. All I could do was push and push and push. This became a really destructive cycle, that left me physically and mentally exhausted every day because I had so much that I pushed myself to do. I pushed myself to be the best. But it wasn’t worth it. With each week of mindfulness, I could feel the weight on my

mind beginning to lift, as I slowly realised how destructive my habits had been. I tried to deny and push away stress, and in doing so it became a mountain I could never hope to climb. Instead, by accepting the stress as a part of life, it became a set of stairs, that I just had to take one at a time. Instead of fighting against the surging water that kept knocking me down, I went with the tide, and focused on taking a deep breath, realising that I could do it. I changed my mindset. Rather than being the best, I focused on being the best me that I could be. It stopped being a competition with every person around me, and rather about looking after myself, and most importantly trusting myself. It was a really hard thing to do, and involved a lot of emotion that I had blocked myself from feeling because I didn’t have time to deal with the consequences that came with it. By taking the time to connect back with myself and disconnect from the outside world for a bit, I realised that I couldn’t continue in the way I was. Now, whenever I find a challenge in everyday life, I do a breathing exercise. I stop, close my eyes and feel the breath flow into my body, and exhale, focusing on letting the stress and pain flow with the breath. When I open my eyes, suddenly what was once a daunting task seems reasonable. The truth is that children are born into a life of stress. The constant pressure of academic achievement, of sporting or artistic excellence, or even trying to compete with the online world, places so much on children and students. I was lucky enough to grow up for the majority of my life without a cell phone, or Facebook, or Instagram. Now there is a constant pressure to appear polished and perfect always, and never show cracks. I wish that I had discovered mindfulness earlier in my life. I think about how much time I spent spiralling in stress during high school and it saddens me. The fact that schools and workplaces are now recognising how important tools like mindfulness are in helping people look after themselves is amazing. It has genuinely changed my life and helped me succeed more as a person. I am happier, I am more energetic and engaged, and I focus more on the people around me and supporting them. I understand that for a lot of people, mindfulness carries connotations of “hippy” behaviour. But the truth is, for me, it was life changing. And I am much more prepared to go forward in control of my mind.

1* EducationToday.co.nz

Artwork by Arthur Holt, Year 12 from Wellington High School.

Show me the way off the couch LYDIA MATHEW looks for meaning in a sea of digital dilemma.

Ahh . . . the 21st century.

article. But people are replacing everything they have for a device, which in the process is making us lazier.

A day and age where humans are slaves of technology, Albert Einstein is left in the dust and our eyes are towards the future, the wonderful, Siri predicted future. Don’t get me wrong, things like Amazon Alexa, Siri and google assistant are great, but nowadays, were using them for things we can easily do ourselves which means were getting lazier, less productive and creating excuses for not thinking because: ‘Siri can tell you the answer to that.’ Because of our technology, our world is now so messed up, we’re creating things to stop our creations. For example, many decades ago, people started building factories and today, we are making high technology, such as electric cars because our factories produce too much smoke for our earth to take and by too much, I mean started-to-melt-the-earth too much. So, my question: Is this truly what our world has come to? An impatient, lazy, non-productive world? If you think you’re not like this, just let me explain. Yes, our technology is really useful. I used a computer to write this

For example, you are less likely to visit someone who lives far away from you, because we have WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and whole bunch of other apps we can use to see people. These apps are helpful and entertaining to use once in a while, but it shouldn’t stop us from travelling to see friends and family every now and then. Another example is Uber eats. Yes, it’s tempting when all you have to do is click a few buttons and then you can have any food you want from any fast food place you want. But when you have Uber, you tend eat a lot more because there is no effort coming from you. Using are devices more than we should can lead to being less productive, which leads to lazy behaviour, which leads not putting effort into tasks and not completing them properly, which leads to finding it difficult to find a decently paid job, which leads to poverty, which leads to . . . you get the point. So yes, it is the 21st century, but this can’t really be what our generation has come to.

EducationToday.co.nz

Fitness is fun LUKAS TURNER believes healthy minds follow healthy bodies.

occer, mountain biking, basketball, hockey, playing in the trees, tag, manhunt, ball tiggi, ki o rahi, baseball, rugby – there are a lot of ways to get exercise.

Although you may not notice, we do exercise every day as children, we play tag, soccer and many more exciting sports and games which improve our cardiovascular fitness. Cardio refers to the heart. You may have heard that a heart attack can be called a cardiac arrest. Cardio fitness has a lot of benefits, it makes your heart super strong so that it doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood. It can also increase your lung capacity and help reduce your risk of cardiac arrest (heart attack), high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and some forms of cancer. Vascular refers to arms, legs and body hence cardiovascular instead of just cardio. I talked with two medical men - Doctor Tamlin and Doctor Torrance.

Doctor Torrance Q: What benefits do you see in fit children compared to inactive ones?

A: The World Health Organisation (WHO)

has looked at all the studies and has recommended children aged 5-17 do at least one hour of moderate to vigorous exercise a day. This is exercise that gets you red in the face and breathing hard. More than one hour has additional health benefits. They also recommend children do strengthening and co-ordination exercises. These exercises include jumping games, skipping, changing direction quickly and lifting things. These types of exercises help with building healthy muscles, ligaments and bones. In addition, exercise mostly takes place outside. We’re now facing a worldwide epidemic in the number of children who have poor vision (myopia) and are needing glasses. Studies tell us that over 50 per cent of children will have problems with their vision by 2050. We don’t know all the reasons behind this, but one of the things that helps is sunlight exposure. Children need 2-3 hours of sunlight a day to improve their vision and help prevent their eyesight worsening.

Which do you think is better for children’s health, running around outside having fun or structured exercise?

A: Fit children have several advantages over their unfit peers. They are more likely to have a healthy body weight, which means they have less chance of developing diseases in the future, such as diabetes.

Running around outside having fun is how children learn and develop. Although the school playground looks like a chaotic mass of bodies, there’s lots of learning going on.

Studies have shown fit children, especially those that do team sport, have better selfconfidence and emotional wellbeing.

Researchers have known for a long time that play based learning is very important for young children’s brain development, especially their language and social skills, and now there’s more evidence that this is also useful for primary school age children.

Everyone gets down sometimes, and many people have depression, but if you’re fit and active, you are often better able to deal with these feelings. Looking after your body tends to have a flow on effect, with fit children more likely to eat a healthy diet. They are also less likely to take drugs when they are a bit older. Fit children have better co-ordination and are less likely to injure themselves. And finally, fit children have been shown to get better marks at school.

Q: How many times do you think children

should be doing fitness each week?

I think it would be the same with exerciseif you’re doing something fun and unstructured, you’re much more likely to engage in that activity by choice. In the school environment, there are also benefits to structured exercises. Structured exercise can help children build strength by targeting certain muscle groups. It can help the shy kids who might not want to join in to feel included. It can provide a good outlet for all that energy children might have between lessons.

2) EducationToday.co.nz

Q: How do you think that we as a nation can improve the number of children playing outside? A:

These are the hard questions that society faces. We have to look at how our lifestyle has changed, and why these changes have impacted on the amount of exercise our children do. There are many layers to this. At home, adults can be good role-models, and look after their own fitness and health by getting outside as much as possible. To do this we may need to place limits on indoor activities at home, such as screen time. Starting an outdoor vegetable garden and getting the kids involved in looking after it is a fun way to get outside. Families and teachers can get together and organise ‘walking trains’ to get to and from school. There needs to be outdoor facilities that children can use. Playgrounds, walking and biking trails, swimming facilities are something that the local government should be involved in providing. Dedicated parks and biking lanes as part of town planning are also a good idea. Then there is removing some of the barriers for children to get outside, such providing warm clothing and wet weather gear in the winter, good shoes and access to free team sports. All these things require funding and motivation.

Doctor Tamlin Q: What benefits do you see in fit children compared to inactive ones? A: They have better concentration, better energy levels, better sleep patterns and stronger bones with better overall longterm health. Q: How many times do you think children should be doing fitness a week? A: Being active for an hour a day including walking is a great target for children to aim for.

Q: Which do you think is better for children’s health, running around outside having fun or structured exercise?

A: They are probably just as good as each other. Running around is great for

imagination where structured exercise is great for learning new skills and sports. They both have a place.

How do you think that we as a nation can improve the number of children playing outside?

One of the best ways would be for schools to prioritise exercise. You need sports fields, playgrounds, walking to school and PE hours to be a focus, these hours should not be cut. Exercise is just as important for brain development as learning. These are all good points that the doctors have said and are things to remember. Children who exercise tend to have; better heart and lung fitness, lower levels of

body fat, stronger bones and muscles, less symptoms of depression and have a better chance of being healthy adults without chronic disease. A chronic disease is a disease that goes on for a long time such as epilepsy or arthritis.

Here are five facts about exercising that may inspire you: • •

Music improves workout performance. Exercising

improves

brain

performance. These are the best sports for overall fitness; Swimming. This is not only a complete workout for your whole body but it is also an epic sport for your heart while being a low impact exercise. Tennis: This is one of the best aerobic excises which is tied with jogging and cycling. Others include rowing, wrestling, squash, basketball, cycling and crosscountry skiing.

•

Working out sharpens your memory.

•

More muscle mass means you can burn fat while resting.

•

A pound of muscle burns three times more calories than a pound of fat.

Finally, getting fat is not bad as long as you try to get fit.

Money coins the myth MARK TAUTELE banks on something more than money. Society revolves around money. We think without it we cannot function or be able to live. Money is a trap. Although it does seem to be on our side, it creates more ways for us to be lured and waste time to purchase possessions we will soon grow out of. We may feel like money provides happiness but just as finding $20 on the ground the moment of joy is short-lived due to us all being human and our want overruling our needs. Society feeds people the idea that if you get a well-paying job, buy a beautiful house, fancy car, and the latest clothes, then you will live a happy life. But being able to afford all those expenses doesn’t necessarily create a safety zone free from conflict. Many would argue that indeed money can acquire joy but isn’t it money that causes us to be able to purchase drugs, buy clothes not needed and even cars more expensive than a house.

“Money is numbers and numbers that never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end” - Bob Marley that dimension of joy can shoot up. At the point when terrible things occur, that dimension of delight can plunge down. After great and awful occasions throughout your life, you come back to your set state of satisfaction. On this basis, money couldn’t buy happiness even we sold half of the world for it. Money is not the root of all evil, as is often misquoted, it is the love of money that is the root of all evil. A coin, or piece of gold, is simply easier to carry to the market than a pig. It’s a commodity, a means of exchange.

We need to see through the perception that money purchases satisfaction. Similarly, as wine gives transitory delight, so too does money. The adrenaline rush when buying something new soon wears off and we are left indeed needing more, becoming involved with the endless loop, and feeling no more joyful than when we began. While cash is essential for survival, we should not cherish cash more than we confide in God to take care of our issues. We should be content with what God is doing in our lives and centre our desires on him.

It’s the love of money that roots all evil. That human moment brought to the object, the heart attitude to it. “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought Lusting after money is the root of all evil nothing with us when we came into the because people really commit the crime world, and we can’t take anything with us for money both direct and indirect. when we leave it. So, if we have enough Rappers and people on ads inveigle us to food and clothing, let us be content. purchase the latest stuff so we can be like But people who long to be rich fall into them, or live like them. The hedonistic “When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ temptation and are trapped by many treadmill, or hedonic adaption, is a hands, he offered them money and said, foolish and harmful desires that plunge theory positing that people repeatedly them into ruin and destruction. For the return to their baseline level of happiness, “Give me also this ability so that everyone love of money is the root of all kinds of on whom I lay my hands may receive regardless of what happens to them. evil. And some people, craving money, the Holy Spirit. Peter answered: “May have wandered from the true faith and your money perish with you because you You basically have a set level of pierced themselves with many sorrows.” thought you could buy the gift of God happiness where you reliably remain. At the point when beneficial things occur, with money.” Acts 8:18-20 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NLT) We are getting obsessed with money so much that we are slowly letting its importance be superior to the importance of our needs.

EducationToday.co.nz

How bad friendships are built ANNABEL AITKEN considers the qualities of friemdship. There will be times when you wonder why you don’t get enough respect from your friends, or you feel they are being mean to you behind your back. How should a friend act? What would make a good friend, or a bad one? I figured out friends are sneakier than you think. Whispering rumours and betraying you by, for example, if your name was called for an ice-block and you didn’t hear, but they went and got it anyway, without telling you. Another example of a bad friend is if you wanted to play your game at lunch or morning tea and they didn’t, they would just say “No. That game is boring” instead of compromising and having a go. What makes them like this? I think your friend wouldn’t behave like this for no reason, there must be a reason and somewhere deep down, they feel horrible about what they are doing. The most common reason for this type of behaviour is that they feel bad about themselves and want to pin it on someone else, to use them as a distraction.

friend if they do this. Finally, if you are friends with a bad influence, say, they talk while the teacher is talking or make you stay away from your other friends and get you in trouble, they are an absolute no-no. Never be friends with someone who will get you in trouble, make you do bad in school and all the like. Sometimes you are able to help them become a better friend and person if you stick at it. Not everyone will have been able to learn the life skills it takes to be a good friend, so perhaps you could help them out. Friends normally rely on you to help them. Friends should help each other. They should make you happy and be by your side. If you don’t have a good friend, tell them why you don’t like what they do. I had to be very brave and have lost many friendships by doing this but I have gained better ones as a result. Trust your heart and gut to prove who is a good friend or not. I trust you to not only find a good friend but be also be one.

Has your friend ever told the teacher about something you didn’t do, but instead, the friend did it? Of course, this is horrible and they shouldn’t do it but this is another example of being a bad friend, they are hiding their true emotions and instead throwing the blame on you to take the focus off of them. Sometimes, a friend just plays with you because of what you have. Say you are rich and you have the most beautiful home and are popular, your friend will sometimes only hang out with you because of what you have. They want to be popular too. How is that being a bad friend? Well, think about it, you are popular, then all of a sudden you make a new friend because you thought they were nice. However, they treat you horribly when no-one else is around and when they are in a crowd with you, they act all polite, posh and fancy, but they don’t care a jot about you. Not very nice. Have you had a friend who is very competitive? This may not be a good thing. For example, you are in front of classmates and they ask for an arm wrestle, what do you say? “Of course”, because you don’t want to be a chicken in front of everyone, and then your friend cheats without others knowing and makes you look like a fool. Any friend that cheats in a game is a bad friend. But what if they just want some fun? Well, is it fun if your friend cheats? I think the main reason a friend will cheat is because they don’t want to be known as a ‘nerd’, nor do they want to remain ‘invisible’ to others. They want to be popular and cheat to make themselves look like ‘the man’. A few more examples: You announce to your friend that you got a level higher in math and they just go “yeah-huh, good for you” in a non-caring manner (not a nice attitude at all). A real friend would be happy at your success; a real friend wouldn’t just fob you off. That is a sign of a bad friend. The reason most bad friends say this type of thing is because if you are constantly getting new achievements (and them not so much) they could be jealous or feeling bad about your level of achievement. Perhaps you could make them feel good about themselves - just a thought. Have you ever heard this before? “This person said this about you” and you have to listen to what they say. This is called ‘causing drama’, causing drama is when a situation is embellished on purpose for the sake of causing negativity in your life. This is the worst sign in a friend. Why do they do this? Because they feel no excitement in their life? And want to make it exciting? No matter how much they want a juicy rumour, they are a bad

q EducationToday.co.nz

2@ EducationToday.co.nz

Artwork by Arthur Holt, Year 12 from Wellington High School.

Priceless market skills NATALIA NOONE-JONES enjoys the colour and excitement of school market days and the fun learning experiences they present from the planning and organisation to the day itself. The air is filled with sweet smells, fresh cookies, slices and cupcakes. It’s the one hour of school time where everything feels open and spacious, unpressurising and in no rush. The day just seems to move lazily along, in no hurry whatsoever, nothing is set, and we have the freedom to roam about wherever we please. As you move around each stall is brighter and more colourful than the last. The feeling of the entire school is just light and happy, there are smiles wherever you look. Everything catches your eye and the sun shines warmly over us all. It’s market day, a rare opportunity, and I believe all schools should create fun learning experiences like this. You aren’t a child for long and I think we need to make the most of it while we can. When you’re an adult you no longer have any fun school experiences, because you aren’t in school and it’s amazing to have them. It is beneficial in many ways and you often hear adults saying they wish they got to do that in school. You’ll soon turn into one of them, regretting what you never had the chance to do. Classes may not often go on trips, thinking of the expense and organisation needed, but market days are held at your own school, cost nothing and gain profit, that is, unless most groups in a class have negative profits.

Organization is mainly, if not only, up to the students, as they are the ones preparing their stalls, which is a good and educational thing for students as well as helpful to the teachers. There’s popcorn, candyfloss and carnival games, crafts and all sorts of ideas, pupils who were proudly displaying the ideas that they have come up with and the effort they have put into it for themselves. Completely student-designed, the organization of it all is another benefit. In adulthood, most people must work to survive, and students are not very well prepared for when they get jobs. Market days are small tasters of what work life will be like, it teaches us how to manage stalls and how to become young entrepreneurs if that is the path we wish to pursue later in life.

responsibility, dependability, and communication.

creativity

Communication is a vital skill for any job because you need to be able to communicate properly with other people like clients or anyone you work with. I reckon, no matter what sort of occupation you’re looking at going into, the more skills and strengths you pick up as a child and the more experience you have at anything related, the better you’ll do at it. The wider range of talents you teach yourself, the more likely you are to be hired. Not only is market day a fun experience, but it is educational, skill building, money making, job-preparing, creative, easy, and a great opportunity to look at anything you may be interested in buying yourself.

It’s an amazing experience that is very educational and teaches pupils a range of extremely helpful and necessary skills. I strongly believe this is a useful opportunity for students to learn a lot and I would advise this to be introduced into all school’s yearly events for all to gain knowledge from and enjoy.

Market day fills the schools with smiles, colour and delicious smells, it can transform your plain courts into fun market space. It’s a wonderful celebration of the end of a term in a way relating to things you have been learning, and teaches you brand new skills you will need in the future, no doubt about it.

Market days are not the only sort of marketing event a school can do. This is a chance for students to get creative and make a special event original to their school. This is a chance for pupils to design a day they would enjoy and learn from. These experiences also grow and bring out other important qualities in students such as: reality, practicality,

This is an amazing experience for me and, I’m sure, for many others. I hope it spreads to other schools for other students to enjoy. Really, what could be a better learning experience?

Living with illness INDI BOTTING has adjusted her life to deal with an ailment affecting her choice of diet. I am one of the many who have coeliac (pronounced see-lee-ak). Last year I was sick for four months and unable to go to school because of how sick I was. When I finally got diagnosed and stopped eating gluten, I slowly started getting better and now I am healthy and completely normal. Coeliac is a permanent, genetic autoimmune disease and it gives you a reaction to gluten. Gluten is in wheat, rye barley and oats. These ingredients are found in many things such as bread, cookies, some cereals, porridge, pancakes, cake and many more. It is estimated 60,000 to 70,000 New Zealanders have coeliac disease (1 in 70). Up to 80% of those are unaware they have the condition. Some people get symptoms, but some don’t. One of my symptoms was tummy cramps and I had these for years. When I started getting really sick other symptoms started kicking in like headaches, diarrhea, joint pains and tiredness.

Before I was diagnosed I also got an itchy skin rash, weight loss and poor growth, but it is different for every coeliac. I am now on a completely gluten free diet. I still eat bread and other items that would usually have gluten in them, but it is made with gluten free ingredients. Going out for dinner and getting takeaways is hard and I do it a lot less then I used to. Cafes and restaurants need to be aware about coeliac and cross contamination. An example of cross contamination is using a knife to cut bread and then without washing the knife, using it to cut something gluten free. It would then not be gluten free anymore. Now, being gluten free is a normal daily thing for me and I don’t notice it much anymore. It has its good sides and its bad sides. But everybody has something, whether its glasses, a wheelchair or food allergies, and I have coeliac.

EducationToday.co.nz EducationToday.co.nz 1$ 2#

EducationToday.co.nz

Celebrating suffrage MACKENZIE JACKSON wants a crucial milestone in women’s rights remembered and celebrated. Women have been trying for many years to make a mark, to be able to do things that others said they couldn’t. Some say women have succeeded, but others say women haven’t reached their target. But women have come a long way from not even being able to work or vote. Even though this isn’t really a problem we face today, it used to be a problem, but then an important historical event changed the life of many people. One person who was the leader of the women’s suffrage, was Kate Sheppard. Without her New Zealand would never have been a place where women would be equal to men. Kate Sheppard was born on the 10th of March 1848 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. She worked for years to gather petitions and successfully got women the vote in 1893 in New Zealand. Later on in life, Kate Sheppard returned to Britain to help the suffrage movement there. When she returned to New Zealand her health was failing but she continued to write about women’s rights, eventually she became less active and died on July 13,

1934 in Christchurch. She was buried in Addington cemetery next to her mother, brother and one sister. Imagine being in the time of the suffragette movement, imagine how you would feel, would you feel determined to go against the opinion of lots of people or would it make you feel hopeless. Whichever one you would feel you should be glad that you didn’t have to live through that. It would have been like having to pick sides when your friends argue. So, what side would you have picked? I would pick the suffragettes because doing that could change the world and it did. The suffragette movement was an important historical event, and we shouldn’t let it become an old forgotten event that happened long ago.

Allergy alert LUKAS TURNER is on the lookout for things that are harmless to some and hurtful to others.

llergies are common in New Zealand, with one in three people suffering from them.

Every tablet taken for medical reasons has a different side effect, and some can cause allergies. My grandma cannot take penicillin because it causes her throat to swell up, which stops her breathing resulting in her being rushed to hospital.

•

If you do have allergies affecting your skin you will be sent to a dermatologist (skin doctor) for information on your allergic reaction and what you can do to stop it.

•

Follow the instructions from the dermatologist and you should start feeling better soon. For serious allergies it is recommended that you get a Medic Alert Bracelet to help notify others of your conditions.

She also gets welts all over her skin, this happens in a matter of seconds. She is also allergic to silverbeet of all things.

In severe cases, allergies can cause rashes, hives, low blood pressure, breathing trouble and sometimes they can lead to death.

There are a number of conditions caused by the strong sensitivity of the immune system which affects touch and smell and are typically harmless things in the environment.

Peanuts can be dangerous for people who are allergic to them. Peanuts are one of the most common cause of foodrelated allergy death. They can trigger anaphylaxis, a reaction that may be fatal if not treated right away. Symptoms usually start within minutes of exposure. Peanuts are not allowed in a lot of schools to protect the safety of students. Most pollens reach peak levels around noon or early afternoon. During pollen season (autumn and Spring) it tends to be worse with the warming temperatures and increased carbon dioxide in the air.

These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic dermatitis (I got that from the internet), allergic asthma, and anaphylaxis. We are lucky today’s technology allows us to identify what we are allergic to and how many things can trigger allergies. The most common things are pollen, dust mites, mold, animal fur or hair, insect stings, latex, medication and certain food. What should you do if you are allergic to something? •

Go to your local doctor to see if it is a major allergic reaction or just a minor one.

Allergies can be worse at night. The presence of allergens like pollen, pet dander or dust mites are common indoors. Pollen is probably the most well-known allergen and can cause seasonal allergies. Symptoms may become worse at night and in the early morning as dust mites are often concentrated in your bedding. This can also be the case with carpet in places like work and school.

2$ EducationToday.co.nz

Screening our screen time NATALIA NOONE-JONES questions the detrimental effects of constant screen life.

large, plastic screen illuminates the desk with bright, bleary light.

It’s blurry with colour and movement. Deafening noises blast out from headphones rendering the player unaware of all surrounding noises. This is it through one perspective. Gentle music leaks quietly from the headphones concentrating the user. You can still hear the soft clicks from the mouse and the quiet tapping of the keys. The miniscule LEDs light up the words covering most of the screen, with a final click, a masterpiece of work will be submitted and all those online can access it. This is another. A computer can be seen in all different ways just the same as it can be used in all different ways. To some, technology can be a virus in the world corrupting the minds of all addicted children using it; to some it is a wondrous invention capable of remarkable things, sharing its large range of knowledge to all. To some people it’s a horrible thing capable of destruction, to others a marvellous tool, it all depends on perspective. There are positives and negatives about young people having access to technology. It depends on the use, there are some aspects of it we almost couldn’t do without. It has helped adults with amazing things, especially in improving and speeding up scientific research and incredible discoveries, it is practical and convenient. For children though, it is a different matter. It does benefit educational purposes, it is much easier now, with the advancement in technology, to study for and complete tests and essays. It helps a lot with making schoolwork easier in being able to find essential information related to the topic at any time and quickly, to check grammar, to send to other people for advice and for the teacher to receive and mark it. It helps us also with planning and keeping in touch with other people. But it has also changed children’s development in some negative ways. Probably one of the biggest is children aren’t exercising as much or as often as they need. Now that children are surrounded by opportunities to use technology such as computers, iPad, phones and televisions

more, they don’t move around as much and are seated in front of a device, they spend far less time outdoors. They don’t get enough sunlight which gives us important vitamins health wise, and without it we find it difficult to sleep. These days many children don’t spend their time in a productive way for their body. They use the technology for games and watching videos, mainly just entertainment. None of this is at all good for them physically or mentally. Devices give off a harmful light that affect the eyes of whoever is watching it and can make it difficult to sleep when used in the evening. The light of devices affects children in a bad way, it may cause eyestrain, headache or irritation. Although it isn’t certain, technology can also affect children’s behaviour, emotions and thoughts. It can affect their social development; they have less face time with friends and family and only speak over phones or chat on their computer. They lose sympathy, empathy and gain disregard for others’ feelings. What I am interested in knowing is if technology can change academic development. There is no way I can find out for sure, but I have interviewed a couple of students about how much time they usually spend on a device during the week (Q1), how much time they use doing something physical per week (Q2), how much time they spend doing homework per week (Q3), whether they usually complete their homework (Q4) and how well they think they are doing at school with reading, writing, maths and physical education (Q5).

Q1: 2 hours Q2: 20-40 minutes Q3: 1-2 hours Q4: Yes Q5: Ok, I guess

Q5: Definitely, at least I think Kieran, year 6 Q1: On average 3-4 hours Q2: On Wednesdays 2 hours. Other days 30-60 minutes.

Q3: Around 20-30 minutes. Q4: Yes Q5: I think I’m doing quite well on my schoolwork Richard, year 6 These are only a few of the opinions and answers from some students. Each one of these students believe they are doing well at school. These students spend on average 13.25 out of 168 hours per person on a computer each week and 41.5 out of 168 per week per person doing a physical activity. Each student has different amounts of computer time and fitness time per week, but they each have balanced amounts of each, spend time completing their homework on a weekly basis and think they do well in school. I cannot prove by these results that balanced technology and physical activities means you will be fine no-matter how long your technology time is, but I believe a balanced lifestyle is better for you. When it comes to using technology it’s not all bad, but I would strongly advise it to be cut down and balanced out with physical and creative activities.

Q1: 44hrs out of 168 on device

Using less technology would be better for us, for our sociability, for our environment and possibly for our productivity. So, think twice when you’re trying to sneak in some extra time on that large bleary screen.

Q2: 28hrs out of 168 physically

Is it good for you?

Maatai, year 6

Q3: 2hrs out of 168 doing homework Q4: Very often

it?

W gu a s m Find nt to .w i o r t c h G u s re a d d p e at mo re re lld ? ss ot .c ne om t