‘Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.’

This was the opening remark from a speech our Head Girl Ella Carlsen delivered to students earlier this term about Learning. It is attributed to Albert Einstien whose own academic potential was not fully realised until after he left formal schooling.

Ella chose this quote quite deliberately. For a number of years, she felt ‘like a fish in a school full of monkeys’ and while her academic record is great, it was the comparison to others that affected the way she felt about herself as a learner.

NCEA presents both challenges and opportunities for individualised learning programmes. Programmes and courses to have the potential for each student’s NCEA programme look and feel unique, however, as a society we are still caught up in the ‘qualification competition’, with a ‘gold medal’ being University Entrance. This is quite a narrow pathway on which to determine future success. It is no wonder many young people are confused about how they fit into our education system.

We have been focussing on Learning as one of our key touchstones this term. We make this plainly apparent because we know that while secondary education plays a fundamental role in developing great adults, we appreciate that many students, like Albert Einstein, don’t reach their learning potential until much later. We want our students to know that the learning and the process of learning is lifelong and is unique to every individual.

Mount Maunganui College has to provide opportunities for students to leave the secondary education system at a number of exit points depending on many student aspirations. I firmly believe that university is a great next step for most of our students, and many more young people should consider university as part of their educational future. However, our commitment to all our students is to instil a love of learning and an understanding that transitioning out of school is just one moment in their learning journey.  As learners, they must understand what being a learner means, and they will use this understanding, to continue to grow.

I hope you will all be able to join us this Thursday and Friday for school interviews. Our partnership makes the journey for your child that much easier. 

Ngā mihi nui
Alastair Sinton