Jacqui Brown
What connects me to this kaupapa is my determination to ensure that each and every tamariki who passes through our schooling system will achieve equity, excellence through belonging.
Every child deserves to experience belonging in their schooling and know that the people in their kura believe in them and will do what it takes to ensure that they achieve educational success while remaining strong and secure in their cultural identity. As a kaiako for 20+ years I have extensive experience, teaching across all primary year levels (Years 0 - 8) and working in senior leadership, including in a Kāhui Across School Lead position.
As a mother of two beautiful tamariki Māori, I have seen first hand how their experiences at school shape who they are and how they see themselves in the world. As I have learnt more about the inequities and disparities that exist within our system, I have come to a place of wanting change. I strongly believe that together, we can create educational experiences in every classroom that empower and affirm our rangatahi while also challenging them to reach their full potential. As Maya Angelou said “do the best you can until you know, then when you know better - do better”. By doing better together we can address equity, excellence and belonging for all students in Aotearoa.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
As tangata Te Tiriti, I believe that we all need to work to understand Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the intent with which it was formed. When we do so, we can understand the historical, cultural and political contexts that shape our identity, beliefs and practices and work to address the disparities that exist in our education system today. Te Tiriti was not honoured in the way it was intended and we now have a collective responsibility to give effect to Te Tiriti within our education system. Each and everyone of us can and must make a difference for all children of Aotearoa.
In my facilitation I provide safe spaces for teachers, leaders and Boards of Trustees to converse and collectively gain a deep understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the role we each play in giving effect to it in our education settings.
Kaupapa Māori
Kaupapa Māori privileges Māori ways of knowing and being. Kaupapa Māori must be alive and thriving in our education settings in order for us to unlearn the colonised practices that currently make up our education system. As educators we have a responsibility to ensure that tangata whenua have the right to live and express themselves on their lands,in their ways. Kaupapa Māori must be at the centre of our work if the principles of Te Tiriti are in effect, allowing tino rangatiratanga to exist and to develop on-going reciprocal relationships with mana whenua.
Through facilitation we can establish spaces for conversation that moves us all towards a more conscious and decolonised society, with the ultimate aim of building bicultural partnerships within all of our schools.
Critical Consciousness
When we embark on building our own personal critical consciousness we begin the process of understanding who is privileged by the systems in which we operate. We can no longer un-see our society in which inequity, injustice and disparity for Māori learners and their whānau continues to exist today. This is uncomfortable learning, but by doing so we can begin to see what exists that needs to be deconstructed to ensure success for all.
Facilitation the supports the development of critical consciousness needs to provide a safe space for conversation to grow. It must lead teachers and leaders to a place where they are able to see the world through a different lens and take responsibility for developing their own conscientization. By doing so, we are then able to explore the impacts of our practice and the societal structures in which we teach.
Whakawhāiti (inclusion)
Inclusion means meeting the individual needs of each and every person. Our education system is built on the understanding that each child has the right to a quality education. When we celebrate and acknowledge that the child brings their own rich knowledge and experiences to their learning, we provide culturally safe and inclusive environments in which the child can thrive. Every individual is born full of potential. It is our job as educators to build on these strengths, supporting the individuals who have been marginalised by our system.
At the heart of inclusion is reciprocal relationships that are built on mutual respect and care. In our work, we ensure that whanaungatanga is our way of being. We embrace and celebrate the diversity that exists in Aotearoa in order to create a just and fair society for all.