Yesterday was our last day in the schools. We spent the day in classrooms, shadowing administrators, or just wandering the grounds and gathering new ideas. A few of us had an opportunity to meet a of representative from the Ministry of Education over lunch. We shared a discussion of how both countries work with special needs students which was interesting for all parties. We also had an opportunity to meet a visiting principal from Alberta, Canada who is on leave while working on her doctoral program. She has been traveling the world looking at schools and the effects of the physical environment on student learning.
We have found this to be a very productive learning experience, and we take away with us a new appreciation for our own education system along with a slightly wider global perspective than we brought with us. As we prepare leave, we take with us a new found knowledge, a renewed sense of purpose in our teaching, a respect for the New Zealand culture, and a collaborative network of administrators and teachers.
We want to extend grateful hearts to all the people we met and work with over the last two weeks. It was an incredible experience that none of us will ever forget. We say E noho ra to our new friends, but we know that it is not a final good-bye but a farewell until meet again.
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