Woman of principal

NEVER A DULL MOMENT: Gisborne Girls’ High School principal Jan Kumar says the best part about her job is that no two days are ever the same and she cannot predict how the day will turn out when she arrives at school in the morning.

MANAGING large numbers of teenage girls on a daily basis would be a daunting prospect to most of us, but Gisborne Girls’ High School principal Jan Kumar is surrounded by 750 young women every day, and loves it.

“There’s certainly never a dull moment,” says Jan, who was appointed as principal in June 2015 having been associated with the school for nearly 30 years.

“I began teaching at GGHS in 1987 and was deputy principal for 10 years before being appointed as principal last year.

“I truly love teenagers, particularly the students at GGHS,” says Jan.

“They are enthusiastic, excitable, and usually very honest — even to the point of being blunt.”

Jan says the best part about her job is that no two days are ever the same and she cannot predict how the day will turn out when she arrives at school in the morning.

“Our students are great — growing up in Gisborne gives them a lot of advantages despite the isolation factor.

“We work hard at school to give our students lots of opportunities to explore other parts of the country and experience different things.

“However, we also need to appreciate that living here gives our students a huge cultural advantage that many in other parts of the country miss out on.

“Past students have gone on to such interesting and diverse lives that we can certainly say a Gisborne education provides a great start,” she says.

Proudly educated in GisborneJan and husband Sarwan Kumar have two children who were “proudly educated in Gisborne”.

“They have really benefited from their time here. Our son Rikesh, ex-GBHS, is a doctor in Invercargill and our daughter Monisha, ex-GGHS, is a barista in London on her OE after completing an English literature degree at Victoria University.”

As for her own schooling, Jan attended schools throughout New Zealand.

“I like to think I sampled education round the country — primary school in Wellington where I was born, intermediate in Auckland and secondary school in Rotorua and Dunedin.”

She studied at Otago University, graduated with an MSc in microbiology and then went to Fiji to do field trials on the biological control of mosquitoes.

“I was in Fiji for 18 months and my research was ruined by five cyclones within a couple of weeks, but it was there I met Sarwan, so I always think of my time in Fiji as successful.

“Sarwan was a health inspector based in the Vector Control Unit in Suva where I was working. We returned to Dunedin initially, and then moved to Gisborne where Sarwan was employed by the Gisborne City Council. He is now Regulatory Services manager with the Gisborne District Council.

“When we came back to New Zealand, I decided that being a scientist was not going to suit me long-term because research takes so long. I had always enjoyed school so I applied for teacher training and became a science teacher with chemistry as my senior subject.

A love of science“I love teaching science, a subject where you want to know why things are the way they are and how things work. Who wouldn’t love that subject?”

Jan started teaching at GGHS in 1987 then went to Rotorua Boys’ High for three years in the early 1990s. She returned to GGHS as head of science in 1994 and has never wanted to go anywhere else.

“I feel like I have established strong relationships with this community and made a real home here. I understand our students pretty well and know I can make a difference.

“The great thing about teaching is that we get a fresh start every year — new classes and new timetables — so that we can always try to do things better.

“That does bring the constant challenge of always trying to improve and never being satisfied with our results, but this keeps the work stimulating.

“And with all the advances with ICT, teachers have to work hard to keep up with the requirements of our current system. Professional learning is a big part of every teacher’s workload,” she says.

“I also love the extra-curricular aspect of education — especially sport. One great part of being principal is that I get to see students performing in concerts, on the sports field and in other competitions and activities.”

The most successful students are the ones who fully engage in everything a school has to offer, she says.

“I am constantly amazed at how much some students pack into their days, juggling study, sport, voluntary work and often a part-time job.”

Continuity with the schoolJan says the wonderful thing about such a long association with the school is continuity.

“I am now seeing not just the children but the grandchildren of the girls I taught 30 years ago. The students say to me ‘You used to teach my mum . . . and my Nan.’

“And we strongly encourage those connections these days. It’s no longer a case of parents dropping the students at the school gate and being told to leave the education to the teachers.

“The high school years can be a difficult stage for girls so we have a philosophy called Hinetu which begins when a girl joins us in Year 9 and takes her right through to when she is ready to go out into the world as a young woman.

“The girls are encouraged to bring a significant person with them when they start at the school and quite often, that’s an old-girl from GGHS.”

In recent years, Jan has seen the school go through some troubled times, which resulted in the appointment of statutory manager Annie King in late 2014 following an ERO report which highlighted shortcomings in financial management, Board of Trustee processes and staff relations.

Jan took over from interim principal Lisl Prendergast who filled the role for the first half of 2014.

“We have just had a very positive ERO report and I’m delighted to say we have been placed on a three-year reporting cycle, which is very satisfying. The report gave us a great endorsement for our strategic plan and the direction we have been working towards.

“The statutory manager has completed her contract and last week’s Board of Trustees meeting was her last,” says Jan.

“So now we can get on with the hard work without the distractions of the past. We have a great senior leadership team now and we are strong, united and all on the same page.

Headed back to ideal numbers“The roll has picked up again and at 750, with an extra class at Year 9, we are heading back up to our ideal roll of 850.

“We have a staff of 65 teachers but adding in the RTLBs (Resource Teachers Learning and Behaviour) and Turanganui-a-Kiwa Alternative Education Activity Centre teachers, there are about 90 teachers and over 120 staff overall.”

Girls’ High runs the Turanganui-a-Kiwa centre, a facility for high school students who struggle with mainstream education. The school also co-ordinates the fund for all special needs students in the district and is the host school for Gisborne’s 23 RTLBs who work in 65 schools.

The school even has a small number of boys enrolled through the Tairawhiti Services Academy.

“It’s a first for a Girls’ High in New Zealand and has been a great addition to our school offering further choices for our students.

“GGHS is certainly a pretty big organisation,” she says.

Jan is happy with the school’s 2015 results which saw 91 percent of students achieve Level 1, 92 percent Level 2 and 84 percent Level 3. Endorsements at Level 1 were 53 percent (if a student gets more than 50 credits at excellence or merit, she gets L1 endorsed with excellence or merit).

“We encourage the girls to aim for quality not quantity — i.e. merits and excellences rather than just passes.

“Every student does six subjects and only about half of these have external exams, so the assessment process is ongoing. This means students can be under a lot of pressure.

“We try to stagger tests and assessments where possible but students will sometimes have two or three assignments due at once,” she says.

Principal role a diverse oneSchools are facing increasingly more complex issues and the role of principal has become even more diverse, says Jan. Much of her time is taken up with meetings and administration.

“The school has a major building project in the planning stages which is taking up a lot of my time. This will see the demolition of the majority of the two-storey technical block opened in 2000. Given that it’s a leaky building and there is also a new earthquake code to adhere to, it’s more cost-effective to pull it down than to repair it.

“We will get new art and technology suites on the main site as well as a redeveloped gym and new careers suite.”

Jan still manages the school timetable, a left-over from deputy principal days, and is also the ICT trouble-shooter.

“I help students who are having problems logging on. It’s a good way to keep contact with the girls.”

As principal, Jan gets little time in the classroom but is taking steps to change that.

“I plan to do relief teaching this year, taking a couple of classes a week which will keep me in touch with the girls rather than being stuck in my office all day.”

When asked about life outside school hours, Jan laughs.

“There’s not much of it at the moment because I’m still transitioning from deputy to principal.

“My life revolves around the school but I love everything about GGHS so it’s not a burden. If your job is fulfilling and you enjoy the people you work with, it’s not a chore.”

As for those who have inspired her, there have been a number of teachers she has admired over the years, and they have all had things in common.

“They were passionate about teaching, formed great relationships with their students, were prepared to go the extra mile for their students and loved the subjects they taught. I have learned many things from observing others in their teaching practice — after all teachers should be the very best learners,” she says.

And the highlights of the job?“There are many, but one of the things I like best is getting to the end of the year and seeing the graduating class of Year 13 students who have blossomed into beautiful young women with little resemblance to the young, often insecure, sometimes impulsive, Year 9 students who joined us five years earlier.

“Being part of this development is demanding but extremely fulfilling.”