Little school makes a bigger friend
Waitahanui School has just 24 pupils, but don’t tell their newest friend.
Principal Maria Rahui travelled to China with the District Council’s congregation last month and visited China Textile School in Shaoxing, near Suzhou.
‘‘We saw all the classrooms,’’ Rahui said.
‘‘They’re a very different layout to ours, with lines of desks and more than 30 children in a room. It was very formal, but you’d expect that because it’s a huge city.’’
‘‘They’re a very different layout to ours, with lines of desks and more than 30 children in a room.’’ Maria Rahui
Rahui signed a memorandum of understanding with the China Textile School.
‘‘There are over 4000 students at the school. We’ve only got 24, but they don’t know that,’’ Rahui joked.
The school’s name refers to the area’s famous industry, rather than the school’s curriculum.
‘‘The curriculum was similar to other schools, but there was an emphasis on their culture – like calligraphy, which is a very important identity-marker for Chinese,’’ Rahui said.
The school orchestra delivered performance for Rahui and other guests using traditional instruments.
‘‘They wore colourful silks and the children were made-up with white faces. I just thought ooh, it’ll quite a contrast coming into our classroom.’’
Rahui said there were plans for a pupil from Shaoxing to visit Waitahanui School at the end of September.
‘‘We’ll welcome him in. Some of our students have fishing rods, so we’ll take him out trout fishing.’’
The intercultural friendship with the China Textile School helped the school deliver one of its five key values – Te Ao Hurihuri, meaning the global world.
Rahui said she expected local pupils to have a lot of empathy for the visiting Chinese pupil, who will only speak a beginner’s level of English.
Because of their understanding of Maori and what it’s like to learn in another language, they can make their language basic for someone who’s learning.’’
Mandarin was not currently taught at Waitahanui School. However, Rahui said a Kura-a-Iwi school in Murapara had taken on a native-speaking tutor this year.