From the Deputy Rector

What Does it Take to be Successful?  

In recent weeks we have celebrated a diverse range of student achievements across all areas of school life and it has been a real privilege to be able to do so.  However, it is timely to step back and reflect upon the time, effort, diligence, determination, perseverance and resilience that is fundamental to these achievements.  Like the tip of the iceberg - that 10% visible above the water - success in any endeavour is built on a foundation that is hidden and rarely seen.  The 90% that isn't visible - the majority that is hidden below the water - is essential as ultimately the summit of our achievements is determined by the size of the base that they are built upon.

In most contexts, only one person can be the top achiever and receive the associated accolades. That does not diminish the effort that has been made by others.  All young men who have been committed to their academic studies and co-curricular activities and who have achieved to the highest level they can should be proud of their efforts; Te mahi tahi | Industry is indeed an attribute to be respected.  We hope that young men will look to our school motto - Nihil Boni Sine Labore  ǀ  Noting Achieved Without Hard Work - throughout their time at PNBHS and their lives beyond.

Farewell, Thanks and Good Luck to our Year 13 Leavers

  E tū te huru mā, haramai e noho. E tū te huru pango, hanatu e haere. | Let the white hair remain here, let the black hair get up and go.

Attributed to Nukutawhiti, grandson of the great voyager Kupe, this whakataukī is pertinent as we farewell young men in Year 13 whose secondary schooling is now complete. While we as a school, and no doubt many young men, will look at this breaking of bonds with a sense of loss given the strong relationships that have been forged over the last five years, this should in fact be a time of celebration. Now is the time for these young men to leave the school gates for the final time to chase their dreams. Those of us with 'white hair' will remain to welcome the next generation of young men into the Palmy Boys' brotherhood and to continue striving towards our vision To Develop Educated Men of Outstanding Character | Hai Whakapakari i Ngā Tamatāne Kia Purapura Tuawhiti.

 We wish all of the young men leaving Palmerston North Boys' High School at the end of the school year all the best for their future endeavours as they join the ranks of Old Boys of our school.

Girls Outperforming Boys at All Levels

In his Prizegiving address, the Rector shared some thoughts from a recent newspaper article penned by Bali Haque (former chair of the 2018/19 Tomorrow's Schools Independent Taskforce, deputy chief executive of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and a secondary school principal) and Dr Michael Johnston (senior fellow at the New Zealand Initiative and previously associate dean (academic) in Victoria University’s faculty of education) who raised concerns about the level of boys' educational achievement in comparison to girls (click here to read the full article) and the consequences of this for New Zealand society.

"Young men, many of them barely literate, fill our prisons and dominate our suicide statistics. At the same time, in our schools and communities, there is growing evidence that increasing numbers of boys and young men are turning to misogynist influencers such as Andrew Tate."

That girls are educationally outperforming boys is a global phenomenon. The gap between girls' and boys' achievement has grown in recent years and is now very obvious both at secondary school and university levels. Females are dominating tertiary enrolments globally, with males making up 40% of graduates and females 60%, and the indications are that this gap is widening. Female students are also achieving at a higher level than males at tertiary level. These global trends are reflected in New Zealand’s secondary school and tertiary academic results.

Professor Tim Brailsford, President of Queensland’s Bond University, links this growing disparity in achievement to personality types. Personality types can be divided into five very broad categories: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, under the acronym OCEAN. All people have elements of the ‘big five’ in differing degrees. Over time, and by the late 20’s, most people’s personality types are very similar and most people are emotionally stable. However, during adolescence, the differences are exaggerated, with males scoring higher in openness and extraversion and females higher in agreeableness and conscientiousness. In other words, adolescent females score higher in the areas which are more likely to lead to higher levels of academic achievement, while adolescent males score higher in areas that are more likely to cause their inclusion in a raft of negative statistics, including educational underachievement. A brief description of the ‘big five’ personality types is given below.

Openness - People who like to learn new things and enjoy new experiences usually score high in openness. Openness includes traits like being insightful and imaginative and having a wide variety of interests. Also, more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviour. Conscientiousness - People who have a high degree of conscientiousness are reliable and prompt. Traits include being organised, methodic, and thorough. Extraversion - Extraversion traits include being; energetic, talkative, and assertive (sometimes seen as outspoken by Introverts). Extraverts get their energy and drive from others, while introverts are self-driven and get their drive from within themselves. Agreeableness - As it perhaps sounds, these individuals are warm, friendly, compassionate and cooperative and traits include being kind, affectionate, and sympathetic. In contrast, people with lower levels of agreeableness may be more distant. Neuroticism - Neuroticism or Emotional Stability relates to the degree of negative emotions. People who score high on neuroticism often experience emotional instability and negative emotions. Characteristics typically include being moody and tense.

Online Activity

Both the amount of time that young men are spending online and the nature of their online activity are causing concern around the world. OECD research identified a relationship between the amount of time spent on digital devices and achievement; students who spend more time online achieve at lower levels in mathematics tests (a finding that held true regardless of whether the assessment was completed on a computer or via traditional pen and paper) while reading performance also decreases with increased time spent on computers.

There is also evidence indicating that in general boys spend more time online than girls, likely to be another factor contributing to the growing disparity in academic achievement between males and females. Further research is beginning to establish links between time spent on computers and loneliness in adult populations. Given that research indicates young men spend more time engaged in such activity than similar-aged females, this is of concern for the future. 

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Worldwide it is estimated that approximately 13% of young people are affected by a mental health disorder, although in developed countries the figure is higher, and may be as great as 20%. This would tend to suggest that there are some lifestyle factors associated with mental health disorders. Globally, suicide is the leading cause of death for adolescent males in developed countries, and New Zealand unfortunately has the worst record in the world.

Canadian mental health expert Dr Tracy Vaillancourt highlights the importance of having an authoritative approach to both parenting and teaching. Such an approach stresses support – love in the case of parents – as well as structure and high expectations. An authoritative approach stresses working together under the guidance of the adult in the relationship, and should not be confused with an authoritarian approach – structure and rules without the support. Dr Vaillancourt also identified that a laissez-faire approach – a lack of boundaries and expectations – from parents and schools is associated with poor mental health outcomes.

How are Schools Responding?

While there are a number of concerns that are shared at a global scale in relation to the education and achievement of young men, there is also a significant amount of purposeful work being done in response to these challenges.

Professor Ian Hickie, psychiatrist and Co-director of Health and Policy at The University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Centre, highlights that “having strong social connections and being physically active through adolescence are two of the biggest things that boys’ schools do to protect against the development of mental health issues.” Continuing to offer a wide range of co-curricular activities and encouraging young men to get involved continues to be a priority for us as a school.

Providing an environment that is both highly structured and highly supportive is important. Dr Vaillancourt commented that contrary to many people’s opinions, it is not necessary to choose between these two methodologies, they can be implemented together and would be characteristic of an authoritative approach as outlined above. High levels of communication, responsiveness and nurturing are important, and these characteristics are derived from environments in which there are positive relationships. Dr Vaillancourt also commented that schools with highly structured and highly supportive environments tend to have lower incidences of bullying behaviour and consequently are safer environments for students.

We believe that our structure and clear expectations are well established, and we continue to work to develop the relationships within our school environment. Alongside their core role as teachers, the involvement of staff in coaching, managing, directing, conducting and mentoring in co-curricular activities helps to build on the relationships that are cultivated in the classroom.

Independent research commissioned by the Association of Boys’ Schools New Zealand has examined twenty year's of boys' achievement data in New Zealand schools and concluded that boy's achievement in boys’ schools is better than boys in co-educational schools in all categories - every decile, every ethnicity, every level of NCEA, University Entrance and Scholarship. This research also noted that typically assessment programmes at boys’ schools are more challenging than those at co-educational schools as there is a higher proportion of external assessment.

Work to understand why this is the case has identified the culture developed within boys’ schools as central to the level of academic success enjoyed by students. Many boys’ schools put great emphasis on tradition and structure, as well as on the provision of an ‘all-round’ education. The curricular and co-curricular programmes boys’ schools offer are carefully planned to meet a range of outcomes. At Palmerston North Boys’ High School, we consider the value that our programmes offer towards achieving our vision To Develop Educated Men of Outstanding Character. What we do on a daily basis contributes in a deliberate manner to our school culture and ethos and consequently the outcomes for our young men.

Understanding Adolescent Risk-taking

The latest Brainwave Review, the newsletter of the Brainwave Trust, discusses the risk-taking behaviour frequently associated with adolescence.

Risk-taking in adolescence is influenced by many things, including: 

• Social and biological changes of adolescence. 
• Large individual differences in both adolescent brain development and in risk-taking behaviour. 
• Situation-specific factors (e.g. being with friends, using alcohol, lack of sleep, heightened emotions). 

How an adolescent develops through this time depends on many factors, including their relationships, experiences, and the adult support available to them, as well as their genetics and brain development up until now.

Having strong relationships with supportive adults, being supported to express a range of emotions and being parented in an authoritative manner (a balance between warmth and love along with clear, firm boundaries and high expectations) are identified as helpful for young people as they go through adolescence.  You can read more in the attached article or click here to read it online.