Categories: News

Sorry… we are too busy!

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-1669" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2015&sol;08&sol;SND18-wk1-Teacher&lowbar;wellbeing-Ian&lowbar;Vickers&lowbar;300x225&period;jpg" alt&equals;"SND18-wk1-Teacher wellbeing-Ian Vickers 300x225" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" width&equals;"300" height&equals;"225" &sol;>Dear Teachers and Principals of New Zealand&comma;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In the 2015 term 2 edition of &&num;8216&semi;School News&&num;8217&semi; an open letter titled &&num;8216&semi;An invitation to collaborate&&num;8217&semi; was directed at the Minister&comma; Ministry of Education&comma; teacher and principal unions&comma; NZSTA and other educational organisations&period; Sadly&comma; the offer to sit down together for a 90- minute meeting and collaborate on teacher&sol;principal wellbeing was declined&comma; many claiming that they had other pressing matters that needed their attention at this time&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Minister and the Ministry both replied through a combination of four emails&period; They commented that they had established engagement with the unions and other peak bodies and discussions were ongoing around a range of topics&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>NZEI – Initially they were keen to attend a forum but then cited other pressing matters&period; They pointed out that an improved telephone helpline five days a week&comma; eight hours a day was available for members&period; Field officers were also busy supporting teacher and principals nationwide and that there was already a collaborative support network programme &&num;8216&semi;Member Assist&&num;8217&semi; where members support each other&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>PPTA – They commented that they are already involved in a range of work around teacher&sol;principal wellbeing and wellness&period; They are currently preparing a report on workload&comma; its causes and solutions and will be advocating through their sphere of influence&comma; a reduction in the causes of huge workload for teachers and principals&period; In recent months&comma; they have also invited me to present teacher wellbeing workshops at two of their conferences&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>SPANZ – Just an e-mail to decline the invitation&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>NZPF – A very short reply to decline the invitation and one other sentence&colon; &&num;8220&semi;We have a huge initiative in the area of principal hauora&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>NZSTA – No reply&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>What a golden opportunity missed&period; &&num;8216&semi;If you always do what you have always done&comma; then you always get what you&&num;8217&semi;ve always got&&num;8217&semi;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Oh by the way&&num;8230&semi;we as teachers and principals are also very busy&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Ian Vickers 5th August 2015&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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