Stephanie Arthur-Worsop: Striving for new ways forward

Education can change your life for the better.

Education will always be a passion of mine. I see it as the ultimate tool - the best weapon you can harness to change your life for the better.

When I moved to Rotorua from Auckland nearly two years ago I'll admit, I was skeptical about the standard of education I would see here.

I was naive, and quickly proven wrong. Rotorua's schools are truly special and now I am the biggest advocate.

I was invited to cover a Rotorua Principals' Association meeting last week and something the new president Grant Henderson said to me struck a chord.

"People are quick to fixate on anything bad that happens in the local sector. I want to ensure people to take note of all the progressive, amazing things we have achieved and are striving towards..."

It was a punch to the guts. Do people really think our local education sector is bad? Well I should not have been surprised, I came here with the same judgment.

So I thought I would write this. It's only short and will probably only be read by teachers but at least I can set the record straight.

In my view, and based on my experience as an education reporter, Rotorua's educators are among the most dedicated, passionate and hard-working people in the city.

They are pioneers, constantly striving to find new and improved ways to teach our youth how to survive in an indeterminable future.

Excel Rotorua is the perfect example. Educators involved in this initiative were looking at education issues before the rest of the country had even piqued its head.

When the nation started to realise how important it was to make smoother transitions for our children, Rotorua schools were already perfecting it thanks to a whole Excel project around it. If you look at the very ground level, where teachers day in and day out dedicate their lives to teaching your children and helping them grow, you will see the rich vein of educators Rotorua has at its disposal.

We have amazing teachers, principals and support staff in our schools. Sure it's possible you are always going to get those few who do it for the pay cheque but from what I have seen most do it for the thrill of seeing a student click for the first time; for the itch to impart knowledge; for the love of children and their untapped potential.

Rotorua's educators are special and I would need the whole paper to shed light on all the influential programmes and pathways they have started in the last two years alone.

The Rotorua Daily Post will continue highlighting our schools, principals and teachers to give them the recognition they deserve.