Religion in NZ Schools

New Zealand does not have a long standing doctrine about the separation of church and state as the US does. But this fundamental belief is so ingrained in me that I was mildly shocked to attend my first session of Religious Instruction at my school, which is held every other Friday.

All the students came into the Hall and sat as they do for an assembly. A handful (20?) provided written notes from parents excusing them from R.I. as it is called. These were mostly students from India (who are probably Hindu?), and a girl from Afghanistan who is Muslim and wears a headscarf all the time. Anyway, students were allowed to opt out with parent permission.

But the other 260 students remained in the Hall while the chaplain actually read a Psalm and talked about how Jesus is your friend, etc. The whole thing lasted almost an hour (!) and included singing a hymn. It's truly alarming to an American like me to see religion dished out like this in a public school setting.

I'm not sure how I feel about it. First of all, I have been a lifelong church-goer and find great comfort in what religion has to offer me. In addition, I'm new here in NZ, and I don't want to start complaining just because they don't act like the States regarding the separation of church and state. On the other hand, I firmly believe that religion should not be government-imposed because 1) the government will just muck it up and 2) religion belongs in a religious institution of one's choice. I think that last word is the key for me: choice. I choose to attend church year after year, and it's the right choice for me. I cannot say that it should necessarily be the right choice for everyone.

Church Search

Today is our eighth Sunday in New Zealand, counting Christmas Day when we arrived. We have visited three different churches on five of those Sundays, searching for a new church home that will match our sense of humour and irreverence. Our friends at Kairos Milwaukie UCC set a high standard for us and we are having trouble finding a community of faith with a similar inclusive view of the world and a strong music ministry.

Megan performed a web search before we arrived and compiled a list of liberal churches in the Auckland area that we might find suitable. She got three hits by combining liberal/church/Auckland. The first church on this list that we visited was St. Mathews in the City, Anglican Church. We were warmly welcomed by Gavin, even though the service was sparsely attended on New Year's Day. The inclusive theology of St. Mathews appealed to us and we were able to overcome aversions to certain high church vestiges like kneeling to receive the Eucharist, genuflecting paritioners, and imposing vaulted gothic ceilings

(bells and smells as our Kiwi friend Rick Utting calls it). My biggest complaint was that the hymns were printed in the bulletin without written music which is one sure way to make me feel awkward and uncomfortable. I acknowledge that most people don't read music so it would be a waste of ink and paper, but I found out later they actually have hymnals stored in bookcases but not in the pews.


We skipped church the following Sunday to buy a car (see "New Wheels" in the blog below). We returned to St. Mathews in the City the next Sunday and were warmly greeted by Gavin again, and this time we were supplied with a hymnal after I asked Gavin for the music to go with the printed hymn verses. The hymnal only had the melody line printed but at least I could follow along when the tune was unfamiliar. After the service, we met the pastor, Glynn Cardy, who seemed very approachable. He had delivered the sermon with a sprinkling of humour and a measure of humility which I found refreshing. We also were introduced to Clay, an American who recently moved with his wife from America for reasons similar to our own.

The next Sunday we were on the road again visiting the Coromandel Peninsula (see "Kauri Tress" in the blog below). We returned to St. Mathews the following week and had another positive worship experience with the exception that there was no choir. Gavin said that the following Sunday, there would be music leaders (cantors?) and the service would be sung (chanted?). That's not exactly what I had in mind for a choir. We miss the friendships and support of the Milwaukie choir, not to mention the spiritual nourishment that comes from listening to music expertly played by Kathy and Ji Young (and Rick Skidmore's drum support!).

We decided we needed to branch out and at least try some of the other churches on our short list. Last Sunday we visited St. Columba's Anglican Church in Grey Lynn (a suburb of Auckland). It's a small church with a very small congregation. The pastor, Hugh, seemed very friendly, and the message from the pulpit was generally open and affirming. There was a child baptism scheduled for the Sunday service, and this seemed to attract all of the disposable attention of the pastor. There were many unfamiliar visitors and extended family for the baptism so I think Megan and I got a little lost in the shuffle. As could be expected, the music programme was lacking, and the congregational singing was sketchy.

Back to the internet for a new search, we attempted to find a church on the web which advertised a progressive message and had a regular choir. We obtained a list of 14 churches in the Auckland area that have regular choirs, but I could not tell from the individual web sites whether these churches would meet with our exalted standards.

Today we visited Mount Albert Methodist Church. The choir was strong and two of the four hymns were either printed in the bulletin or available in the hymnal (but no harmony parts!). The worship service was well attended, and a large contingent of children listened to a brief message before departing for church school. The pastor, Elizabeth Hopner's sermon was conventional but not memorable and both Megan and I felt somewhat disconnected from the message. We were spoiled by Rick Skidmore's sense of irony and his frequent rants about fundamentalist Christianity. At the very least, we almost always felt that his sermons connected with us and our attention did not wander far from the point. Maybe he and the Kairos gang would like to move to New Zealand. Hey, there's no George W. Bush here!

Again, I should't complain too much about the Methodist Church because their theology is basically sound (although they're still struggling whether or not to allow gays and lesbians into their leadership and this is causing a potential schism from within). We may try this place a few more times. But we may try some others, too. I guess we're still searching.

School Starts

STUDENTS: Well, my school started this week and I'm just getting to know all the kids. I have about a dozen Maori and Pacific Island kids (Samoa, Fiji, etc.) plus 3 Korean, 2 Chinese, 2 Indian, 1 Cambodian, 1 South African, 1 Dutch, 1 Australian, and 1 token American teacher. That's lots of diversity for a class of 29 students! The personalities of 12- and 13-year-olds are pretty much the same all over the world. A few are too chatty. A few are shy. Some have very low skills and can barely read or write. Some have terrible home lives. Some are extremely active in sports. So far their behavior has been mixed. I was ready to wring their little necks on the 3rd day, but they were lots better on the 4th day. They're just testing me. I'll have to whip them into shape. :)

MISS: All the students call their female teachers "Miss." As in, "Sorry, Miss." or "Yes, Miss." It's sweet. It reminds me of the Spanish students calling me Maestra.

PLANNING: I ran out of things to teach after two days of beginning-of-the-year stuff. The container isn't here yet so I was just making things up ... with mixed success. I was frantically staying up till 11:00 every night trying to plan for the next day, just surviving day-to-day. I hate that. Luckily, I had some time this weekend to plan for the coming week so I feel better. (I even had time to watch the Olympics opening ceremony, and time to write this blog entry.) And supposedly, the ship with our container is arriving the day after tomorrow. My fingers are crossed.

SINGING: Mrs. Baker will like this: Every week there is an all-school singing assembly where the principal plays the piano and the kids all sing along. If they're not singing out loud enough, she makes them start over. It's kinda cute seeing everyone (boys included) singing at the top of their lungs. So far, we've sung Daydream Believer and Lean On Me, old 70's songs. I would have expected folk songs or something. Oh well. I love to sing, regardless. I also told the principal that I play flute and she's eager for me to accompany her, once my flute arrives.

SPORTS DAY: On Friday we had a big sports day to celebrate the end of the first week back. The Deputy Principal is a volunteer fireman so he brought a fire truck and aimed the hose in a big arch and the kids ran under it and through it and got all wet. (remember, it's summer here) They had a blast. There were also relays and tug-o-war and other fun stuff. Perhaps Mr. Foote should get a fire truck to come for Alder Creek's 8th Grade Day?

FITNESS: There's an all-school fitness program 3 mornings a week for 30 minutes. (Kiwis are REALLY sports-minded) I'm in charge of taking 30 kids on a power walk. My job is to make sure none of the kids allow this 48-year-old lady to pass them.

PE: By the way, Schroeder, Kiwi kids always do PE & Fitness barefoot! They have their PE classes outside in the grass almost every day. They only get rained out once or twice a month and have to go in the Assembly Hall instead.


LUNCH: Lunch also takes place outside. First, the kids all sit under the trees for 10 minutes to eat, Then they have to clean up. Then they are released to play around for the rest of the hour while 2 staff monitor the grounds. There's no cafeteria, no kitchen, and no hot lunch served in any New Zealand schools.

SUN PROTECTION: They are required to wear hats for protection from the sun. It's funny to me because I'm used to kids getting in trouble for wearing hats. Here they get in trouble for NOT wearing hats. Ha. I also have to be a good role model and wear a hat when I'm leading the power walk, etc.


MOVIE MAKING: I also found out that they're making a movie version of the book Bridge to Terabithia, a young adult novel that lots of kids have read. They're filming it here in New Zealand, and actually it's happening less than 5 miles away. Some of my students are getting paid $100/day to be extras in the film. They are playing fellow classmates of the 2 main characters. The 2 stars are both American kids, but the extras are Kiwi kids.

New Wheels, part II

Today we set out to buy a second car, since we both have jobs now. The plan was to go to a used car dealer on Auto Row and look for a small car for me – maybe something about 5 years old, with about 50,000 km.

On the way there, I saw a blue VW bug for sale at a small lot. (Curt used to drive a red VW in Portland and LOVED it) I made the mistake of hollering "Look, there's a blue Beetle for sale!" Boy do I regret that now.Curt screeched to a halt, turned the car around, and you know the rest of the story. We never made it to the auto dealer to get a car for me, but Curt is now the proud owner of a blue VW Beetle. The transaction was all over within 30 minutes.

I think there's a moral to this story. Perhaps something about keeping my mouth shut?

JOBS: Cheers and Tears

First for the CHEERS:
Curt got a job! It's perfectly suited for him because it's a position as a structural engineer for the hydro department of a big firm (a dam engineer). It's exactly what he did at PacifiCorp in Portland and he truly enjoyed his work there. So it was perfect to find an opening that fits so well. Of course, they're probably happy that they found a candidate that suited the job so well, too!

It was a L O N G process. He actually inquired about the position in early December before we moved, and he was finally hired on Jan 31. First, he had a pre-interview with the recruiter in charge. Then he had an initial interview with two of the bosses at the company. A few days later, he had to return for 2 hours of psychometric testing (!). It was similar to an SAT test, including reading comprehension, analogies, and math patterns & problem solving. THEN he had one more "structured" interview. Well, I guess he passed the test and the interviews because they hired him.

He'll be working for a company called Maunsell, an international firm based in Australia that does work in New Zealand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Qatar, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. They even do some work in Afghanistan. They do buildings, defence, power, transport, etc. Can you tell I've been reading their glossy brochure? :)

Anyway, it feels good to know he has a job. As Curt says, "It's a relief. It's nice to feel wanted. I'm looking forward to getting back in the groove again and getting my brain engaged. It'll be good to have some social contact with other people in this country." And honestly, we've both been getting pretty bored sitting around for the last 6 weeks.

Now for the TEARS:
I started my job on Feb 2nd for two days of staff meetings and team planning. My head is spinning. There is so much new information to take in (and I miss a few words here and there, because of the accent) that I get overwhelmed. Contrary to the title above, I haven't actually cried ... yet. But I'm pretty darn close at times.

I debated whether to discuss my problems in this blog. Obviously, I'd prefer to tell you about all the things that are going right. But it only seems fair to include the frustrations so you will have a more complete picture. Besides, I like to vent occasionally. Prepare for a little whining.

Basically, I'll be teaching 29 13-year olds and I'm in charge of teaching reading (good,) writing (good), social studies (good), and maths (not as good, although at least there is a textbook I can use for this). Yes, it's called maths here, not math. I guess since it's short for mathematics, it makes certain sense. In addition to the subjects I teach, my students go see other teachers twice a week for PE, art, music, home ec, tech, and science (really good!). I also fill in for the librarian for 2 periods and teach computers for 2 periods to fill out my schedule.

It sounds doable, but somehow I feel like I'm drowning. All these new concepts and new processes and new lingo that I'm trying to comprehend haven't jelled in my brain yet, like jello when you first mix it up and it hasn't set. It will take a while for all these new ideas to solidify. Meanwhile, my head is full of mush and I'm not used to that.

Here's a small example of the kind of problems I have in understanding everything that is being said: The students work in exercise books, not loose-leaf paper in a binder. Their supply list says to bring a 1B5 for maths and three 2B8s for literacy and a 3A1 for spelling. Huh? I went to the stationary store tonight to find out what these things are. Anyway, these kinds of things pop up in every minute or two so I'm always a few steps behind because of these huge gaps in background knowledge. It sure gives me empathy for recent immigrant children who are not only learning a new language, but struggling with a new culture all day!

The other two problems are concerning my classroom:
1. My room is totally empty and unsupplied.
This classroom wasn't used last year, so there was no stapler or pencils or construction paper or anything. (I went shopping tonight and spent my allotted $40, which didn't go far) There wasn't even any desks for the kids, but they found some old, wooden, broken, cracked, graffitied desks for my students to use until newly purchased desks arrive ... in a month or two. The chairs are moulded plastic chairs like patio chairs. There's no file cabinet or tables or counters. There's an old teacher desk with 2 drawers.

2. The container full of our belongings – including 40 boxes of my classroom stuff, bookshelves, etc. – hasn't arrived yet. So I don't have the files full of all my lessons and ideas. I feel crippled without those. I don't have my huge collection of young adult novels (and the school library isn't open yet) so my students can't start silent reading yet. I have no posters on the wall. Those of you who know how much time I spend fixing up my classroom and making it welcoming for the first day will know how disappointing it is for me to have to welcome students to a bare room with depressing old desks. Ugh.

I guess I could compare it to going camping and all you have is the tent. No matches. No pots. No food. No toilet paper. No sleeping bag. No hatchet. Just a tent.

All right, that's enough woe-is-me. Let's talk about some good aspects now:
• They provided a laptop. (OK, so I lied about the tent being empty. There's a laptop in there.)
• There's a huge walk-in closet. (Eventually I will have lots of stuff to put in there)
• I only have 29 kids.
• There's a twenty minute break in the morning for tea. And there's an hour for lunch.
• The room has whiteboards and carpeting (my classroom in Portland had chalkboards and linoleum)
• I won't have to score papers and assign point values for everything. (Instead, I write descriptive grade reports twice a year telling their level and what they need to work on)
• Everyone says my name correctly because here, Megan is always pronounced MEE-gan.
• I won't be bored any more.
• Nobody chews gum. :)

Now I will end with 2 funny stories about accents:
• When filling in for the librarian, I will be seeing the students from Room 2 and Room 6. The Deputy Principal tells me that Room 2 is "Lunn's" class and Room 6 is "Dorn's" class. Later, I figured out that he said Lyn and Dawn, not Lunn and Dorn. Oops. I'll get the hang of this accent eventually.
• At the opening assembly on the first day of school, each teacher reads their class list outloud to announce which kids are in which class. The principal recommended that everyone practice pronouncing the names on their list. However, they quickly assigned a different teacher to read my list at the assembly because I can't even pronounce the white kids' names "right" let alone the Maori names like Rangitawhiti Arama. :)

Well, now you know how I'm feeling on the 2nd day of my job. :(
I'm sure when I write again about my job in month or so, things will be better. :)