'Tu Meke Tumuaki' week: A tribute to Northland school principals

Doing the best for the children in care, for the staff at school, and for the community has been at the forefront of Kaeo Primary School principal Paul Barker's mind, he says. Photo / Peter De Graaf

Covid-19 has shifted the life of every Northlander to a new and unexpected place, but how has it been for someone taking care of hundreds of kids and the community every single day?

"Tu Meke Tumuaki" week started on Monday, with the aim of highlighting the often unsung and unnoticed work school leaders do for their schools, tamariki and communities.

The Advocate spoke to two Northland principals – Sally Wilson from Kamo Primary School and Paul Barker from Kaeo School – to gain a perspective of how things are looking for the leaders holding down the fort in their individual communities.

- How has your role changed or not changed as a principal since the global pandemic began?
Wilson: A principal has always provided an ethic of care for all. It is the nature of the job but the level of care and ways of learning have changed since the global pandemic.
The ability to mind-read the level of need for people and support security has increased considerably.

Barker: Not too much. Being a principal is a complex job with many responsibilities. The main goal is to make sure that everyone involved in school is cared for and supported to undertake their responsibilities to the best of their ability during the pandemic.

What has been the biggest learning in the last two years?
Wilson: It was so important to plan what was new and what we knew to meet our school's specific requirements. Being adaptable was and still is crucial. We cannot be dismissive nor judgmental of others' reality and at times schools run out of magic wands in order to help. The Kamo community has worked so well at navigating this pandemic through their personal responses.

Barker: Our school is a resilient place that clearly understands what we value and treasure. The pandemic reminded me that we are so well supported by our community.
If we asked people to wear masks or limit their time in school, almost without exception parents and caregivers simply did as we asked. It meant that we could focus on our jobs rather than battling problems at the gate.

What has been your inspiration to keep going, even when times were really difficult?
Wilson: There were definitely some hard, long training days and that varied from school to school around need, but overall inspiration comes from our students.
Every member of staff stepped up when and where needed; students stayed connected and coped as they knew how; teachers went into incredible overdrive; and the Board of Trustees showed great responsive care.
Tumuaki talked to each other and shared. Zooms bloomed. As principals, we manoeuvred minute by minute.

Kamo Primary School principal Sally Wilson urges whānau to send their children to school. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Barker: The best preparation for the challenges faced over the last two years is principalship itself. All principals have become used to working long hours, working at pace, and reacting to needs that crop up every day.
It's actually something that needs addressing, especially in primary schools where there is an urgent need for additional resources and staffing in every school across the country.
As for inspiration and motivation – that's simple. Doing the best for the children in our care, for the staff at school, and for the community is always at the forefront of my mind.

How do you manage your professional and personal life?
Wilson: Tumuaki are people who strive to help others from social, to emotional, to learning for life. I have been incredibly proud of the profession, striving to keep things going against so many odds at times.
The worry around attendance has been phenomenal for some schools. If whānau don't know it out there, your child/ren are part of their school whānau. If they are not present at school, a school feels it, it hurts.

Barker: At the beginning of the year, we committed to restricting our personal lives a bit in the hope that it would increase the chances that our school would stay "Covid-free".
This largely worked and the school has been able to stay open and operate largely as normal.
For most principals managing the balance between professional and personal life is a real challenge – there is always so much to do, so much to think about. So, my personal life has been largely on hold – maybe next term?

What will you be doing during the school holidays?
Wilson: Loving my grandchildren, walks, bike rides, reading, a little bit of school work and just enjoying a clutter-free brain in order to prepare for term three.

Barker: Trying to avoid getting sick is the first priority – lots of principals and teachers get tired and run-down at the end of the term and find the holidays are when they have time to get a cold or the flu.
We have work happening at school on our sewerage and stormwater systems so I'll be keeping in touch with that and then planning for a busy term three.
Somewhere in there I also hope to visit the Hundertwasser Art Centre with my long-suffering and often neglected wife, Carol.