At our Manaiakalani Cluster wide Teachers’ only day held on the 16th April, Christine Tupou, Poto Faalili and I took the opportunity to share with staff the challenges faced by our young Pasifika students every day. We invited a number of students to speak about the importance of teachers’ knowing how to pronounce their names properly and they wanted shared some of the sad stories of when teachers got it wrong. They talked about how it made them feel and the space was provided for them to share their stories.
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| A few of our presenters practice the day before |
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| Staff who attended our workshop |
Our students were amazing. They spoke with confidence and poise and determination. We were very proud of them. It was quite an emotional time for me because I felt they spoke for me and for every child who would have to sit and be embarrassed when someone spoke their name incorrectly or for the child who just accepted the incorrect name because they didn't want to make a big deal.
We designed our own analogy of the kava ceremony and what the ceremony represented. Each element of the process was described as related to the world of a Pasifika student and how each aspect linked them to their families and that a child's success is the families success. The staff who attended the workshop had the chance to take part in the ceremony.
Afterwards, we asked staff for feedback and collected their thoughts to be collated and discussed after the holidays. It was a very special workshop that I felt proud to have been a part of.
Turu 2.14 Critically reflects and examines whose knowledge is being taught and valued in the early learning setting or classroom in order to balance and enhance power sharing collaborative relationships. (Please refer to a previous blogpost about the planning for this workshop)
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