Teia came home from school yesterday with a crown that she had made and quite happy with herself that she had done a brilliant job of it! And it was a beautiful crown, one of the better ones shes made so far. She’s probably created about 10 in all her 6 years of life…

Which is my point really. What is up with all the crown making in mainstream schools? Since childcare and then kindergarten and now her second year in school, she is still making crowns!! And – of course the crown is already sized for her and comes with pre-made lines so that she can colour in the inside and then glue her pre-made shapes on to it!!! Do they think she can’t think for herself, that she can’t draw her own lines and create her own shapes the way she wants to create them?
She’s been doing art since she was a baby – and she is naturally visual and kinetic so she learns hands on as many of us do. Which by the way, can be an issue sometimes!! She has a studio at home where she creates every day when she comes home from school and on the weekends and then she goes to school and has her art made for her – in the form of a crown??
Hullo is all I can say and I don’t really know what has changed since I was in a mainstream school learning about how Captain Cook discovered Aotearoa!!
Actually, I take that back. Something HAS changed and that is the introduction of kura kaupapa Maori – Maori immersion schools in Aotearoa. That was one of the best things that happened for Maori and for Aotearoa.

Ma te wa – until tomorrow,
Jo x
PS – A mixture of colours in today’s rock – plum, green, white and red!! A bit of a burst of energy or possibly venting!