Saturday, April 20, 2024

‘We’re here for the kids!’

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Rachael Fullard (right) and Christine Daniel (Toot for Teachers) were there with fellow teachers. Photos supplied

No matter what the weather, teachers are here for your kids!

Staff at Sunnyhills School stood along Glenmore Road from 7.30am – 8.15am on Friday as part of a Community Action Day to gather support and raise awareness around current issues faced by teachers.

On Wednesday August 15, Sunnyhills School will close as staff strike to join the national campaign run by NZEI (our union). This is a decision that is not taken likely. We are incredibly lucky to be in a profession that we love.

It’s dynamic and rewarding and every day a different child makes us smile. It’s not just about the pay, it’s about retaining excellent teachers who are supported to give the best quality of teaching and learning.

For so long now the government of the time hasn’t valued our profession enough to provide schools with funding to meet the needs of all students and staffing for better workloads.

Rain didn’t put Sunnyhills teachers off on Friday morning. They received more than 100 toots for support. Joanne Burge and the team let their signs do the talking.

Here at Sunnyhills we are fortunate that the wider effects of the teaching crisis are kept at bay. We have quality teachers and quality learning programmes, however this is getting more difficult to maintain.

Teachers are choosing to strike because we care about our kids and the future of education in NZ.

By showing our faces on Glenmore Road this morning (Friday), we are hoping to raise awareness and put the face of teachers to the media’s attention around the industrial action planned for August 15.

We are encouraging all parents to visit their class teachers and talk to them about the issues we face.

– By Justine Driver, Principal Sunnyhills School

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