Author Archives: Shahnaz Sahnow

Embracing the Opportunity for Real-World Learning

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The road map to a high school diploma spans 13 years of very carefully identified benchmarks of skills and understandings. The real prize, of course, is not the diploma itself for the diploma is just a piece of paper (granted, it is a nice piece of card stock with a fancy seal, but it is still a piece of paper). The diploma itself is just symbolic of the real prize: academic knowledge and skills to be applied to life in the real world.

Much of School is a Simulation

Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”

Xun Kuang

Teachers facilitate the students’ K-12 journey by delivering instruction, creating opportunities for practice, and providing feedback on each student’s demonstration and proficiency of skills. We go to great lengths to involve our students in their learning. In order to create the opportunities for students to practice and test their new knowledge and skills, teachers, curriculum developers, and test writers devise story problems and prompts such as the following:

Susana wants to buy a fish tank that costs $47. If she earns $10/weekend babysitting, after how many weeks would she be able to buy her fish tank?

Pretend you are running for president, what would you say to convince people to vote for you?

A recipe for one dozen muffins calls for 1 1/2 cups of flour. If you were going to make muffins for all 35 kids in your class plus your teacher, how much flour would you need?

Read the procedure for how to change a car tire. Then arrange the scrambled steps of the process into the correct sequence. Finally, write about what you think would happen if you left out the step of putting the lug nuts back on.

Teachers do their best to come up with stories/situations/scenarios that provide students with practice to apply their new skills, but what do all of the above examples have in common? They are hypothetical. Made-up scenarios intended to simulate real-life situations in which one would apply skills and knowledge. Words like if, would, pretend all trigger the subjunctive case and require kids to use varying degrees of abstract thinking. This is particularly challenging for elementary students because abstract thinking develops slowly and is widely considered to not be fully developed until sometime between the ages of 11-16 (https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/abstract-thinking).

Teachers do their best to create realistic scenarios for their students. For elementary students this means ones which involve as much concrete thinking and as little abstract thinking as possible. When practice has to happen with paper and pencil, or an iPad, they often provide objects or, at the very least, pictures/diagrams to help make the thinking less abstract.

Real-World Learning is Best

The best way for anyone to practice new skills and knowledge is through real-life application. This is often referred to in the education world as project- or problem-based learning (PBL). Kindergarteners mixing together the ingredients, smelling, and then tasting their handmade gingerbread people makes every story about the gingerbread child more real. 2nd graders caring for live caterpillars and observing daily as the butterflies form their chrysalises (I had to look up the plural of that word!) and eventually emerge as butterflies is so much more impactful than reading 10 books and watching every video about metamorphosis. 5th graders spending two weeks learning how to safely ride their bikes through classroom instruction of transportation rules, followed by daily practice on their bikes– first on the school’s black-top, then out into the neighborhood, and eventually on a 5-mile bike ride through town–gets many more kids knowing and practicing safe bike commuting than would reading a list of rules with diagrams of the hand signals. Nothing can compare to real-world learning.

Teachers go to great lengths give their students real-world learning experiences, but even in the very best of circumstances, the ratio of real-world learning opportunities to abstract paper/pencil/iPad practice and application is low.

One of the silver linings of the very dark cloud that is the COVID 19 pandemic is the increased opportunity for kids to apply their knowledge and skills to real life, and to learn even more.

This is not a rehearsal, nor a simulation, nor a hypothetical situation. We are in the middle of a global pandemic where everyone has to stay home. Homes have become our students’ classrooms. Teachers will continue to provide very carefully crafted instruction, practice, and feedback, but I hope parents and students alike will recognize and take advantage of this rare opportunity for kids to use and expand their knowledge and skills in real-life ways.

The “Tell me…” quote is actually adapted from the following reflection by Chinese Confucian philosopher Xun Kuang in the 3rd century BC:

Not having heard something is not as good as having heard it; having heard it is not as good as having seen it; having seen it is not as good as knowing it; knowing it is not as good as putting it into practice. 

Adapted from the John Knoblock translation of Xunzi, circa 818 AD https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7565817-tell-me-and-i-forget-teach-me-and-i-may

I will be posting some of the ways that we are trying (to varying degrees of success) to put learning into practice in our home during the pandemic. It is an adventure in learning and and adventure in life for sure! (Stay tuned for the story of the day my 12-year-old announced he wanted to bake a cake…from scratch…and without a recipe–and the ensuing real-world lesson that he learned about baking soda.) I would love to hear about your experiences and ideas as well, so please put them in the comments or email them to me.

We’re Missing Our Backbone!

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In so many ways, schools are the backbones of our communities. Obviously, their primary purpose is to educate. Our children go there in order to learn and develop the skills that will be necessary for living productive and healthy adult lives. But schools provide a critical secondary service to society. They provide a place for children to be under the supervision of other adults, thereby freeing up parents to do their own jobs. The COVID-19 pandemic forced sudden and extensive school closures. 21st century advancements in technology have quietly paved a path that helped us quickly jump to the solutions “work from home” (WFH) and “distance learning.” Computer/tablet + internet = WFH/distance learning …seems like such a simple equation. But it turns out it isn’t simple at all. Stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders have left millions of students, teachers, and parents grappling with how to function without the backbones of our communities.

Parents are suddenly teachers. Teachers are still teachers, but from a distance. And many teachers, who are also parents, are suddenly teachers of their own children but at grade levels very different from the ones to which they are accustomed. Parents who are working from home (which includes a huge number of teachers) are struggling with how to both perform WFH responsibilities and also manage our children’s schooling at home. We are all scrambling for structure as well as clarity around roles and responsibilities…and wanting very much not to miss a beat in any of these realms. Many parents have been treading water, eagerly awaiting the arrival of “distance learning” to be the magic remedy — the replacement for the missing backbone. The reality of what distance learning actually is will likely be a bit of a let-down for those who were expecting a replacement of the missing backbone that is our schools. I think it might be worth getting some clarity around what distance learning actually is.

What exactly is distance learning?

Let’s go back to the primary purpose of schools: to educate ALL children K-12. Distance learning is an approach for providing instruction, opportunities for practice/application of skills, and feedback from teachers–which are the same principles of teaching and learning in the school building–from a distance. The goal is for all students to be able to reach learning targets despite not being able to be in school in person.

Does distance learning take the same amount of time as a school day?

The fact that kids being at school all day frees up parents to work is a fantastic bonus that benefits society, but in the context of a global pandemic, the key word here is “bonus.” The responsibility of our schools is to educate each and every student, not to keep them busy and entertained for 7 hours every weekday. Kids learn at different paces, so the amount of time it will take to complete distance learning lessons and assignments is varied across a wide continuum–just like in the classroom.

For most students, learning in a 1:1 environment requires only a fraction of the time that it takes to deliver instruction, opportunities for practice/application of new skills, and feedback to a whole class. In a scenario where kids are engaged in distance learning 1:1 through technology, most students’ learning will be accomplished in way less time than in a school day where they are in a 25-30:1 student:teacher ratio

Are a couple of hours/day really enough?

Educating kids is about the skills learned and not about the time. Distance learning should provide students with sufficient instruction and practice to progress toward standards and benchmarks. This is considered the core and designed to be sufficient on its own.

Oregon Department of Education recommends the following maximum daily guidelines for teacher-led distance learning:*

  • Grades K-1: 45 minutes
  • Grades 2-3: 60 minutes
  • Grades 4-5: 90 minutes
  • Grades 6-12: 30 minutes per teacher (3 hours in a day)

*Independent application/practice is in addition to this time.

Supplemental Learning

In addition to the core distance learning instruction and assignments, most teachers are providing robust menus of supplemental learning opportunities. Parents and kids can pick and choose from these supplemental activities as much or as little as works best for them.

It is really important to realize and keep in mind that kids are always learning. In fact, they do a huge amount of very important learning when they are not engaged in official school lessons and “educational” activities. But this is a topic for another day…

All in the Same Boat

We may be in different seats, with different perspectives, but we are all in this boat together. I am an elementary teacher who is trying my best to figure out how to deliver effective, engaging and differentiated distance learning to ALL students at my school…And I am doing this work from home…And I am a parent of a middle schooler and a high schooler. So although I am a teacher, I am not my sons’ teacher. Nor am I a biology, geometry, algebra, or any other kind of secondary level teacher. So I am very much living the shared experience with so many of you. And what an adventure it is! An adventure in learning and an adventure in life!

Resurrecting the Blog

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Twice I have made well-intentioned (but ultimately feebly executed) plans to capture and share the things I was learning–both professionally and personally–through some unique adventures. Ultimately, I realize, what stood in my way of following through with frequency and consistency was the ubiquitous issue of time. More specifically, I chose over and over again to be out and about exploring my temporary home countries of New Zealand and Costa Rica, figuring I could always write later.

It is much later, and I find myself–along with the rest of the world–in an unprecedented, unplanned, and most unwanted adventure. I also find myself in an ever-swirling brainstorm of thoughts and ideas pertaining to both learning and life. The corona virus has turned life as we know it upside down and surrounds us with so much uncertainty, but it is certainly an adventure in learning, and an adventure in life. And besides that, I have an unprecedented amount of time in my house these days. So maybe this pandemic presents the perfect conditions for my swirling brainstorm to take shape and rain down into some coherent thoughts and ideas about learning and living.

Here I go (again)!

Raining Iguanas

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Let me preface this by saying that I love figurative language, but I hate the figurative use of the word literally.

A few weeks ago it was literally raining iguanas on the roof of my classroom.  My classroom resides beneath a lovely large tree that produces what look like mini mangos.  For days the sound of these little fruits plopping down onto our canvas roof supplied the arrhythmic beat of our background.  Then one day there was a sudden PLOP that was much louder than any preceding plop.  It instantly grabbed my attention, and when I looked up I realized I was looking at the unmistakable silhouette of an iguana.

smaller iguana silhouette

That PLOP was just the first of many that day.  Intrigued by the sudden raining of iguanas, I stepped out to investigate and instantly realized what was happening.  Whereas most of the mini-mango-looking fruits drop and roll to the ground, several had gotten caught by the wooden frame of the roof.  The iguanas were making their way out on the limbs of the tree and then dropping down to retrieve the fruit.

iguana close

However, low-lying fruit is not all that it’s cracked up to be.  These poor iguanas, so accustomed to their abilities to scale trees thanks to their long claws, were in for a big surprise every time they landed on the canvas roof.  Unable to cling to anything, they would slide all the way down until the wooden frame caught them.  Perplexed and terrified by their new predicament, they would then try to make a run for the peak of the roof, only to slide back down again and again.

iguana silhouette

They all eventually figured out that they needed to walk the perimeter of the frame until they were close enough to leap onto the tree trunk and climb home.  Sorry guys, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Welcome to the Jungle

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Welcome to the jungle…and to life beyond the edges of the postcard.  As I reflect back on my first two and a half months on the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, I realize that the terrain of this mountainous jungle is itself a perfect metaphor for life here:  many exhilarating high points with expansive and breathtaking views…all interconnected by plunging, hard-to-navigate valleys.

Pura Vida

The postcard shows you the beautiful beaches of the Montezuma area with their soft white sand and picturesque ocean waves tumbling onto the palm-lined shore.  It does not show you the jellyfish that call these waters home, nor the blister-like bumps that formed on my arm after an encounter with a medusa* on my first afternoon here.  This didn’t turn out to be too big of a valley for me as all evidence of my jellyfish sting disappeared within an hour.  What will never disappear from that day is the memory of the exhilaration of being on a stand-up paddle board on the ocean and looking back at the exquisite jungle shoreline and marveling that this would be my home for the next 6 months.

 

You can find many postcards that show (in close-up detail if desired) the myriad fascinating insects and spiders that live in this jungle.  What you don’t see in the postcard display however is the necessary housekeeping in order to keep these fascinating and abundant creatures (ranging from annoying to scary) outside of your house!  A single crumb will attract an army of decomposers within minutes, so…dishes cannot be left for later, garbage that has touched food goes into an airtight container, compost is kept in the fridge until a convenient time to walk it across the road and toss it into the jungle, and crumbs are accounted for as if they were little nuggets of gold.  Because housekeeping is a constant necessity, houses in the jungle are very simple.  Lots of tile and not a lot of stuff.  This is not a particularly deep valley in our experience here.  More like one of the ravines that we traverse whenever we go anywhere around here.  In fact, it has turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for Owen and Quincy to really step up their game with household chores (and a nightly gift of one-on-one time for me and one of the kids as they dry and put away the dishes that I wash).  Nota bene: For those of you who will come visit me while I am here, you will be happy to know that of the 12 species of scorpions in CR, none are poisonous!  Scorpion stings here are much like bee stings.  They hurt, but unless you are allergic, they are not dangerous.  Still, my heart skipped a beat the morning I picked up my camera bag in a groggy stupor only to find a scorpion underneath, tail at the ready.

Tarantula

You definitely won’t find any postcards depicting someone coughing around the clock.  By far my deepest and widest valley here was getting sick with chemical bronchitis and having the worst cough of my life for 6 weeks.  It is never fun to be sick.  Adding to it the layers of being far from home, being alone, starting my teaching job, navigating the medical system of a foreign country, and coughing hard enough that I cracked a rib…made for a pretty miserable experience.  It’s also a boring story and not one I want to rehash, but I am including it here because it brought with it a high point, and that was the realization that I was already part of a new network of lovely folks.  So many people—from my coworkers to my landlady—gave me rides to the doctor, helped me find a sub in the wee hours of the morning, made me homemade concoctions and remedies, and offered me an endless supply of empathy and sympathy.  All of a sudden, in the midst of feeling like it was me vs. the jungle, all of these people reached out in their own way to let me know instead that we’re all here, ensconced in this fairly remote big jungle together.  And that I wasn’t actually alone, but rather that I already had a tribe.

One of the many cough remedies made for me
Tribe!

At the risk of using what has become a cliché word, the jungle is AMAZING in the truest sense of the word.  And everything seems larger than life.  Too incredible to be real.  Monkeys overhead.  Butterflies with glittering wings.  Leaf cutter ants on the march.  Horses snacking on mangos.  Agouti and pizotes and coatimundis scavenging.  Everywhere you look there is life.  Plants, animals, insects, and spiders doing an intricate and endless symbiotic dance.  It took me a while to find sure footing, but I think maybe I have finally fallen into step with my fellow jungle inhabitants.

In teaching, the goal is always to find the zone of proximal development for each student.  That sweet-spot that is beyond the student’s already accomplished level of comfort and abilities but not quite into the frustration level that is so hard that learning and growth become out of reach.  This is exactly what the jungle is for me. That place just beyond my comfort zone, the place where I can learn and grow every day.  My ZPD.  Too bad “Welcome to the zone of proximal development” just doesn’t have the same ring to it as “Welcome to the jungle.”  Still, from now on whenever I hear that iconic song, in my head I predict that I will sing, “Welcome to the ZPD” and be instantly transported back to this special and transformative place.

 

Montezuma Beach

 

The New Zealand Curriculum (history and context)

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So much of many students’ long-term success and achievement in school is determined by the the trajectory they get on at the very beginning of their school careers, which in turn is determined in large part by their pre schooling experiences.  (It is important to note that pre school learning environments do not only refer to preschools but rather all learning environments, which include homes and communities as well.)  My Fulbright capstone project is multifaceted, but the purpose is ultimately to improve student learning by aligning standards and practices between preschools and public elementary schools in order to create a more seamless transition for students between these two critical learning environments.   I am looking at broad education systems and policies as well as specifics about best practices in literacy instruction.

One of the many things that makes New Zealand the ideal place to conduct my project is that it has had a national curriculum since 1992.  Let me clarify that “curriculum” in this case refers not to a specific textbook or instructional program, the way we think of it in the United States.  “Curriculum” in this case refers instead to a set of national standards (an articulation of what they want students to know and be able to do) that are mandated for every school in the country by the Ministry of Education.  This is a little mind boggling for the US since our public schools are governed and funded by each state instead of at the federal level.  Keep in mind that New Zealand does not have states, and that it is actually more like the size of a state in the US–both population- and geography-wise.

New Zealand implemented their first national curriculum in 1992.  Acknowledging that there had been much social change over the next 8 years, the education system conducted a thorough 2-year review from 2000-2002, and–based on the findings–the Education Cabinet led a 4-year revision of the curriculum before implementing the current version of The New Zealand Curriculum in 2007.  They want to ensure that the achievement objectives are, “current, relevant, and well-defined.”

In addition to having a 23-year history with two versions of a national curriculum, New Zealand has also been on the cutting edge of literacy instruction and practice for the last several decades and–partly because of their size–they have been able to effect significantly positive change on a national level in a relatively short amount of time.  These aspects make New Zealand the perfect place to design a model that can be implemented in Oregon–or any other state–in the context of the Common Core State Standards.

Karen Sewell, who was Secretary for Education in New Zealand at the time of implementation of the new version of the New Zealand Curriculum had this to say about it:

The New Zealand Curriculum is a clear statement of what we deem important in education.  It takes as its starting point a vision of our young people as lifelong learners who are confident and creative, connected, and actively involved.  It includes a clear set of principles on which to base curriculum decision making.  It sets out values that are to be encouraged, modeled, and explored.  It defines five key competencies that are critical to sustained learning and effective participation in society and that underline the emphasis on lifelong learning.

What more could a country ask for from its future guardians of society?

The Boys Start School

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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 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

Mt. Cook School courtyard

Owen's classroom with the wall doors open

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.

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

Shahnaz at the top of Mt. Kaukau. South Island 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

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

Togs!

 

Visit to a Marae

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Orientation week brought the Fulbright teachers together with the other Fulbrighters and Axford Fellows who have just arrived in New Zealand from the US.  Our schedule was jam-packed with speakers about the history, culture, politics,and even flora and fauna of this unique land.  I gained a more in-depth understanding of New Zealand with each session and appreciate very much each of the speakers that came to present his or her area of expertise to us. But what stood out as the utmost highlight of an all-around exceptional week was the visit to the Waiwhetu marae.

A marae is a Maori tapu (sacred) ground where religious and cultural events take place.  Like many sacred meeting places, marae customs are steeped with tradition and ceremony.  We had the incredible honor of being prepped for our visit to the marae by Sir Tamati Reedy and Lady Tilly Reedy, very highly regarded elders who have accomplished many political and social gains for Maori people on a national level.  Sir Tamati and Lady Tilly taught us some basics about the Maori language and culture and then trained us for the powhiri (POE-fi-ree), the traditional welcome ceremony for visitors at a marae.

Waiwhetu marae

Waiwhetu marae

Powhiris vary a little bit from one marae to the next, but they generally all consist of the visitors waiting outside the gate to be called onto the marae grounds.  There are protocols for who does the welcome chant and the response chant, who enters first (women first onto the grounds, but men first into the wharenui (the meeting house building on the grounds of the marae).  You always remove your shoes before entering the wharenui, and as you enter you are greeted with a hongi, which is the touching of noses.  The hongi symbolizes the exchange of breath between the two people.  (Sidenote: We saw the Hobbit movie here a few nights ago, and I noticed that Peter Jackson incorporated a hongi into the movie.)  Once inside, the ceremony continues with formal welcome and thank-you speeches (first in Maori and then translated into English if need be), waiata (songs), and a gift from the visitors to the hosts.

Visitors wait outside the gate until they are called onto the marae.

Visitors wait outside the gate until they are called onto the marae.

Maori culture and tradition places huge importance on and therefore pays homage to ancestors.  This can be seen in their ceremonies, in the buildings and grounds of the marae, and in their art.  Part of the powhiri ceremony involves acknowledging the ancestors of the people of the marae as well as those of the visitors.  The wharenui itself is a symbolic representation of the ancestor of that tribe.  The head is outside above the front door and usually facing the sunrise. The center beam represents the back bone, and the side beams come out like ribs.  So when you are inside the wharenui, you are protected inside the embodiment of the ancestor.  There are carvings, paintings on the beams, and woven panels throughout the inside, and each pattern represents specific ancestors or aspects of nature.

Spine and rib beams in the Waiwhetu marae

Spine and rib beams in the Waiwhetu marae

We learned more in-depth about Maori culture and art.  We even got to get in their waka (hand-carved canoes) and have a rowing lesson!  We learned about the peopling of the Pacific and the many commonalities amongst the earliest inhabitants of these island lands.  (I was also struck by the similarities between the Maori and the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest despite the vast distance across the Pacific Ocean.)  And we learned about the political history of New Zealand through a Maori context.  They invited our families as well, so Brady, Owen, and Quincy took part in the marae experience as well.  The entire experience on the marae was profound, and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to be welcomed there!

We all slept on these mattresses arranged inside the marae.

We all slept on these mattresses arranged inside the marae.

Here I am with Kura Moeahu, the Chairman of the Waiwhetu marae.

Here I am with Kura Moeahu, the Chairman of the Waiwhetu marae.

Peaks and Valleys

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Last week–roughly 8 months and one week after finding out that I was the recipient of a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching–I finally journeyed to New Zealand.  And, really–factoring in the span of time for the application–it was over a year’s wait.  Over a year of imagining the sights, sounds, tastes, feels, and smells of this majestic new-to-me country.  I have formed a New Zealand Bucket List that is too long to detail in this post, but will hopefully come to fruition over the next 4 months.   Somehow however, in the midst of my anticipation of the exquisite literal peaks and valleys of New Zealand, my mind glazed over the inevitable reality that there would be figurative peaks and valleys to match.  I have imagined myself visiting schools and working with kiwi teachers, climbing glaciers and tramping to huts, participating in a Maori Powhiri and kayaking with dolphins, but I forgot to picture the less desirable aspects of starting life in a new country.  You know…things like banking and figuring out the bus system (when one bus ride costs $5!).  I landed here three days ahead of my family with a simple enough to-do list.  It only had 4 things on it: phone, bank, house, school.  Sounds simple enough, right?  I either grossly overestimated myself or underestimated the systems here.  Probably a little combination of the two.  Regardless, here are a few nuggets that may help you the next time you find yourself moving–even temporarily–to New Zealand.

1. Phone. (peak)  Thankfully I planned ahead and arrived in NZ with an already-unlocked phone.  It was extremely simple to suspend my US service online and head out to buy a prepaid SIM card.  Bonus (unexpected) peak: despite having read that New Zealand had slow an unreliable internet, not only is it fast and reliable, but it is free in many places all over the city.  Thank you, Wellington!  More bonus peaks: whatsapp and FaceTime.  So happy to have these great free (other than data) options to keep in touch with my family and friends back home and all over the world!

2. Bank.  (valley) We planned ahead, set up our account when we were still in the US, and even wired the money so it would be waiting.  I figured this would be easy to check off my list, but it turned out that I had to have a rental agreement (more on that in a moment) in order to activate the account.  Also, my husband and I will need to appear together, and it will probably take an hour.  Since we are now 2 hemispheres away from our built-in babysitting gaggle of grandparents, this means we will have to take our kids with us.  Note to self: feed the children immediately prior and bring something for them to keep themselves occupied.  Consider resorting to some sort of bribe to elicit their best bank behavior since they have never been inside one before.  Hope that Quincy does not suddenly put on a bank robber act.

3. House.  Ugh. (big, long, deep valley eventually ending in a peak)  I’m going to keep this short.  Basically, if you’re coming to Wellington to live short-term, you need to do one thing: lie.  This is actual advice from a rental agent here.  I didn’t do this, and I think I would have saved myself a ton of time and effort and frustration if I had.  I will spare you the details, but rest assured we will have a place to live.  Literally the ONLY possibility out of many tens of inquiries.  Great opportunity for the boys to have a downtown city living experience as we are right in the heart of Wellington.  Come visit!  We will happily make room in “The Shoebox” for you!

4. School. (still up in the air, but should be a peak regardless of how it turns out)  We are waiting to hear later this week if there will be room at the school where we are hoping to enroll the boys.  We walked to the school on Monday hoping to check it out.  We walked through busy downtown Wellington, and then turned off onto a small street.  After one block we found ourselves in front of the oasis of a very sweet looking school.  The boys fell in love at first sight.  The best news is that we are in New Zealand, and the whole reason we are here is because of how incredible the schools and education system are here.  And, as a member of a local school board assured me, there are no bad schools in Wellington, so wherever they end up will be great.

5. Weather. (peak…valley…peak…peak…valley…peak…val–get the picture?)  Wellington put on its best outfit for my fellow Fulbrighters and me the day we arrived.  We were greeted by 80 degree sunshine with a light breeze.  We were told by multiple people that day how rare this hot, dry summer weather had been.  As I looked out at the all of the people sunbathing on the beach and swimming in the flat water of the bay, it was hard to imagine where the nickname, “Windy Welly” could come from.  I think Wellington took that as a dare and has now shown me on several different occasions just how it earned that name…and just to put an exclamation mark on its message, it rained sideways on Monday!

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Windy Welly

 

6. Coffee. (peak)  I have traded in my morning latte for a flat white.  De.LISH.ous!  My new fave!  And the kiwi baristas are a treat too!

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Flat white

 

7. Wellington. (peak) I have walked all over this city, and I love it!  It has so many different pockets, each with its own feel and character.  And it’s very compact, so as you traverse the city, you seamlessly go from one unique area to the next.  You can even find yourself in the heart of downtown one minute and surrounded by nature the next.

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Gigantic fern

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One minute I was downtown, and the next minute here!

 

Yes, there have been some should-have-been-expected challenges, but that is part of what makes an experience like this worthwhile.  And, even after rehashing the “house hunting horrors,” I am sitting here thinking I should rename my blog to “Never going home!”  I love you already, New Zealand. Kia ora!