I have now been on New Zealand ground for 26 days, and I still pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.  It still feels surreal that I am here in this incredible country to study its wonderful and wondrous school system.  I have met so many very kind and interesting people, and I feel like each connection I make at the university has the potential to greatly enhance my capstone project.  I am currently awaiting ethics approval to be able to formally begin my research for my project, and in the meantime I have the great pleasure to experience a New Zealand primary school from a parent’s perspective.  **Spoiler alert: This post will likely end with. “I’m never going home!”**

Owen and Quincy’s First Day of School

Owen (who will turn 10 in March), and Quincy (age 7) began school at Mt. Cook primary school the week before last.  They are both in blended age classes, which is perfect since they have just come from the first half of a school year to do another first not-quite-half of a school year.  I reflected on the fact that it seemed more than a little ironic that we came to New Zealand–the outdoor and adventure capital of the world–to live and have the boys attend school right in the urban heart of Wellington.  We are two weeks into the boys’ NZ school chapter, and here are some of my first impressions and highlights.

An Urban Oasis

This downtown school in the middle of the capital city of New Zealand is a calmer setting than our school at home which is on the edge of Corvallis (a small university city in Oregon).    The buildings of Mt. Cook envelop a paved courtyard playground.  There are more paved courts to the side and a field adjacent.  The doors of the classrooms are huge windows and open like barn doors, so right now, in the warmth of late summer, the classrooms are often open-air.  There are large trees to climb (yes, CLIMB!! 🙂 ) and a fun play structure as well.  You step off the city sidewalk onto the grounds of Mt Cook and you could just as easily be in a country setting.

Mt. Cook School courtyard

Owen’s classroom with the wall doors open

A Warm Welcome

I think the thing that struck me the most was how at-home we instantly felt.  Owen and Quincy both immediately wanted Mt Cook to be their school, and Brady and I felt as at home as they did.  The staff and students all made us feel very welcome from the first moment.  On the boys’ second day at Mt Cook, there was an all-school powhiri (see my post about our visit to the marae for an explanation of a powhiri) to officially welcome new students, families, and staff to the Mt Cook community.  The feeling inside as I looked out at the entire school singing a waiata to us in Maori is one I will remember and treasure long after we return to the United States.  The sense of community was very strong, and I felt very honored to be enveloped into it.  At the end, we new families and staff lined the wall, and the students, staff, and families came by in a receiving line format each greeting each of us with a hongi.  What better way to bring new people into a community than to share a breath?

(I’m not posting pictures of the powhiri because I don’t have any without student faces, and I don’t have permission to post.)

A Day in Nature

On Thursday of the boys’ first week of school, I got to attend the all-school, all-day picnic.  I know!  Can you believe it??  A few of my fellow Fulbrighters and I were welcomed to tag along, so we showed up at school and happily boarded one of the city buses that had been reserved for the field trip (no school buses here!) and rode the twenty-ish minutes to Khandallah Park where the whole school was to spend the entire day.

We paraded from the buses to the playground with very happy children who were armed for the day with snacks and togs (I’ll give you until the end of the post to guess what “togs” are).  Once everyone was seated, the principal addressed the entire school and asked if everyone knew what the MOST IMPORTANT RULE was.  Replies of, “Stay within the boundaries” and some other logical guesses involving safety were rejected, leaving even myself a bit perplexed.  I was standing next to Seth, a fellow Fulbrighter, and we turned to each other with matching expressions, mouths agape when we heard her proclaim that the most important rule was, in fact, to HAVE FUN!  This was followed by clear expectations about boundaries, and some simple instructions for all those wanting to climb Mt. Kaukau, and then the children were turned loose for their day of fun and exploration.

1/3 of the school at a time were invited to swim in the outdoor pool, there were two scientists from Te Papa (the National Museum of New Zealand) there to answer questions and explore the stream with any students who wished.  (Yes, they were allowed to be in the stream!), there was sports equipment available, and, of course, the park’s playground equipment.  I elected to climb to the top of Mt. Kaukau, which–at 445 metres above sea level–is the highest point in the Wellington harbor.  We ascended through beautiful fern forest along a creek until we reached the bald top of the hill and were treated to 360-degree views of the Wellington harbor as well as the Rimutaka and Tararua mountains.  And we even had a crystal clear view of the South Island (a rare treat, we were told by the locals–even on a clear day)!  I must admit I somewhat guiltily relished in the rarity of being on a field trip but not having any responsibility for students, so I lingered at the top taking pictures for quite a while.

Students and adults at the top of Mt. Kaukau. Wellington Harbor in the distance.

Here I am at the top of Mt. Kaukau. South Island in the distance.

Eventually I descended to the play area and the school of children and their adults.  I came upon a wonderful scene.  Children–many of whom barefoot because that is allowed here–were participating in a large variety of self-selected activities: playing various sports in a field, exploring in the stream, waiting patiently in line for their turn on the flying fox (zipline), running in and out of trees, flying down–and even off the end of–the slide, swimming in the pool, and others yet eating their lunches.  One of the teachers who was positioned near one boundary edge asked me if I was horrified by the looseness of the rules.  “Absolutely not,” I replied, “as a parent and a teacher, I am so happy to see them have the freedom to be children!”  And in my head, I thought to myself, “I’m never going home.”

Seth Hoffman singing his song “Nature” with Mt. Cook School at the end of the field trip

Togs!