The sharing of ideas is the beginning of collective effervescence.  This transformation from a ho-hum view of internal evaluation to a bubbling up of ideas and possibilities happens when wise leaders step back and let the magic of collaboration happen. 

We are mindful of leadership's impact on settings; it is an important role. For a while now, the Teaching Council have had the expectation that all ECE leaders belong to a Professional Learning Network.

How do we do better…… we have a hmmmm, we stop and reflect on the biases and preconceived ideas that we have, ideas that lead to assumptions, assumptions that could cause injury not to the body but to the mana of our mokopuna.

These stories will continue to surface when the rain starts when the tides are high, and when the weather person says there is a severe weather warning for their area. We cannot forget that those in the waka with us are still hurting, still scared and uncertain.

If one of our motivations for using online is the ease of gathering whānau voice remember there was life before online so it is achievable in an authentic and meaningful way.

Many of you would have found yourselves leaking tears of joy, pride or a sense of awe over the Matariki weekend. Some friends and I spent the evening at Te Whanganui-a-Tara along with thousands and thousands of others who came out to celebrate together this amazing moment in the history of Aotearoa.

Stepping tentatively into the unknown professionally can feel like crossing the bridge, the first step is huge, then travelling an unknown path we can feel like turning back to the safe and familiar, it is normal, I think. But if we do this we do not step into our full potential and realise new possibilities.

It is funny how the universe conspires to work in our favour and brings to us provocations that deeply touch our hearts and minds. This poem and the following words from the book Still Being Punished have done that for me this week.

Where is the love? Love/aroha is in all that we do, it is the thick accent behind the words we use, behind the actions we take, behind the thoughts we think.

Strangely this week I have listened to Sylvester Stallone who was sharing some wise words on being able to look within for answers on fitnesses and healthy living. I am unsure how I even found myself listening to this iconic actor, not my usual go to for words of wisdom.

We are all so familiar with Ka Mate as the haka that stirs our emotions but what lessons can we learn from this rousing haka?

We all want to live a less-stress lifestyle. One of the steps to doing this is to live in the now. I am sure you will recognise these words, ‘what if’. When we live in the land of ‘what if’ we can see problems everywhere.

Beliefs and views we hold of the mokopuna, and the experiences of childhood that we draw from, affect the way we view teaching and learning and our role as kaiako. These views shape our language and action.

What tends to happen more often in our lives is the “How are you?” “I’m fine.” dance. We all buy into the ‘busy’ equals ‘I am of value’ principle of life; and the unspoken code that I’m too ‘busy’ to be anything other than fine and you are too ‘busy’ to listen, so what’s the point in sharing anything real?

We must be guardians of spaces that allow children to breathe, be curious, and to explore the world and be who they are without suffocation. They deserve one place where they can rumble with vulnerability and their hearts can exhale.

Moving our attention to away from the negative circumstances in our work or life and focusing on the positive aspects means…….

To start with we put our own oxygen masks on first. When this announcement is made on the plane it always feels in contradiction to my gut instincts - but unless we look……..

Find the passion, the sense of purpose, the dream and dive straight in.

Our task is to educate the hearts and minds of children in our settings so the future of Aotearoa will flourish…..