Harcourts Taupō Good Sort October 2024 is Tirohanga School principal Tracey McConachie

Tracey McConachie (centre) was awarded with this month's Harcourts Taupō Good Sort award. Photo / Harcourts Taupō

Tirohanga School teaching principal Tracey McConachie has a passion for “inclusive learning” which has now led to her being named as this month’s Harcourts Taupō Good Sort.

With a career in education that almost spans 40 years, McConachie worked alongside the Teachers Council panel on “inclusive learning” practises. In her current role at the rural primary school she is able to put those into action.

Tirohanga School is also part of the nationwide EnviroSchool programme that focuses on sustainability and allows students to connect with and explore the environment with the long-term goal of creating a healthy, peaceful and sustainable world - all whilst still learning the usual reading, writing, and maths.

McConachie said her school followed the “universal design of learning” which had a more “hands-on approach” - something she sees a lot of students benefit from.

“Some students just aren’t passionate about the usual curriculum, so there’s no point in putting them through the suffering of writing because the end goal is to see what the child has physically learnt,” she said.

“All children learn in different ways and show it differently, they show us in the way that they feel comfortable.”

It could be from creating cartoon strips, diagrams, paintings, action models, gardening skills, and how to develop “all sorts of nature-based things”.

“It’s good for their well-being and that’s our first focus for our children. It’s good for them to follow their passions and feel like they’re producing something valuable to our school or community,” McConachie said.

Universal learning also worked well with special needs children who are dyslexic or autistic, she added.

“More schools nationwide are warming up to the approach. Let’s face it, with special needs it’s becoming so many more people needing support, and that isn’t going anywhere.

“Nobody is coming to rescue us, so we need to find a way to manage that. It’s not putting kids under pressure where it’s not necessary, we just want them to show what they know and become confident.”

McConachie was nominated for the Good Sort award by numerous people who shared kind words about her work.

One nomination said “[McConachie] goes above and beyond for each child”, including their families and the wider community.

When the Taupō & Tūrangi Herald asked about her motivation for doing what she does, McConachie said it was “kindness”.

“I want children to learn the benefits of being kind and experience people being kind to them. Every child has something special that they can share with the world but sometimes they get shut down.

“Your younger years are where you find yourself, and I think our kids need to learn they are strong in so many ways and can find so many things that make them happy.

“It’s not about being a doctor or lawyer, it’s about doing what they are passionate about and how they want to do it.”

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.