Karekare school, is a sub-school of the Oratia Primary School on the other side of the Waitakere ranges. The two schools support each other & share facilities, ideas and projects; it has been a very good partnership. Our local teacher is now Beverley, who has been teaching in Karekare for 18 years, and has experience teaching in Samoa many years ago, where she tells me there was no electricity, no shops and no doctors, so Karekare must feel a little less isolated! We currently have 18 students from ages 5 to 10 at the school. Bev loves the ability to give children an almost one-on-one teaching experience, and the flexibility of a small school allows the children to finish projects or enlarge on areas of interest whilst she has their attention. She integrates topics into all subjects and never talks down to the younger ones, so they all benefit from a wider teaching experience. Maori language, cooking, singing, art, looking after the plant nursery, reading, dance & movement are all incorporated, as well as exercise; running around the local paddock sure gets plenty of fresh air into their lungs. She says the children are a pleasure to teach, they look after each other, and love coming to school so much, that they think the school holidays are too long! Bev was looking after the children from 8am onwards whilst I was there; we are lucky to have such an inspiring teacher.
by Julia Moore