The Imbeciles Are Running the Asylums Up North

Ministry Wallahs and Mad Hatters

The Ministry of Education is a joke.  It's living in Alice's mad, mad world.  That's the assessment of Pat Newman--long time educator, and presently the far north Principals Association president.  The precise technical term Newman used is "Mad Hatters"--and, he concedes, they are now in control of the Ministry's classrooms in the far north.

What happens when a government school system transmogrifies into a social welfare agency?  You get Mad Hatters running the asylum.  The particular issue facing Ministry employees in the far north is managing and controlling completely unacceptable violent behaviour of school pupils.  The Min of Ed's teachers are not allowed to lay a finger upon such children.  The only alternative?  It is to march the rest of the pupils out of the classroom, leaving the Mad Hatters in charge of the asylum. 

A Far North principals' association president was hoping a Ministry of Education meeting in Wellington on Friday to review guidelines on the restraint of children would result in change. He was disappointed.  "The Mad Hatters are now in control of our classrooms," said Te Tai Tokerau Principals' Association president Pat Newman.

He had advised his members to pray that those making the decisions would "apply common sense for once.  A teacher is not even allowed to lift a 5-year-old up and carry them out [of the classroom] when they throw things [during] a tantrum.  Instead, we are supposed to leave them and remove all the other children," he said.  "A child can be utterly destroying a room ... and the same applies. It's Cuckoo Land.  [NZ Herald.  Emphasis, ours.]

Pat Newman calling Time! on the Mad Hatter Regime

 Newman's plea with the Ministry wallahs is two-fold.  Firstly, face up to the problem of P ripping social coherence to shreds in Northland.  Society in general, but families in particular, are shredded.  This is leaving schools attempting to manage the behaviour of children who essentially need 24/7 management and supervision.  Secondly, Newman is challenging the Ministry wallahs to put sufficient resources into schools to take the first step of 24/7 supervision.

Of course the Ministry needs a few dozen more working groups, reports, discussions with Oranga Tamariki before they take the mammoth first step of calling head office with the dreaded message, "Houston, we have a problem!". 

Not that the Ministry has been inactive, you understand.  It has been beavering away setting up a long list of  verboten no-no's which TEACHERS MUST NOT DO! 

"But we did get guidelines on restraint that make it far harder for us to ensure the safety of all children and staff, give us little option but to stand down ... in many cases, and have handed over control of our schools to any child who wishes to push the boundaries and knows the rules." . . .

One Northland school has such regular problems with an uncontrollable child that the teacher and pupils have a password — Avocado — which means everyone has to get out.  A Year 2 boy urinated on the floor in front the class as an act of defiance, swore and spat at the teacher, destroyed classroom property, on occasion screamed for long periods of time, hit and kicked the teacher and other pupils.

He refused to leave the classroom when asked to, the teacher repeatedly facing the choice of allowing him to remain and potentially continue his disruptive behaviour, or taking the classroom outside "again".

Several incidents with an 8-year-old who smashed windows/punched holes in the bathroom walls. Students/staff placed in lockdown on three occasions until he calmed down. The child's "psychologist", who used to see him occasionally, asked us to write a review of each incident so they could justify putting anger management strategies in place.

"What's the odd bit of urination and spitting?  Nothing to see here.  Move along", intones the deaf Ministry wallahs. 

Newman says that Ministry prohibitions on any physical contact with a madcap, screaming child are clearly dreamed up by a group of people who long ago flew over the Cookoo's Nest.  He acknowledges he has ignored them and cheerfully broken the rules.

Since these stupid unworkable guidelines have been put in place I have twice broken the law, and did it both times without thinking, because the children I removed from the classrooms had viciously assaulted other kids during class time.

We would like to issue a challenge to the Mad Hatters and the Ministry wallahs.  Newman has confessed that he has committed an assault upon at least two children.  You have no choice but to engage in asinine compliance with your Mad Hatter rules.   But, if you are not willing to lay assault charges against Pat Newman, rip up your rules. It's one or the other.

There is only one way out of this mess--as far as Northland (and New Zealand) government schools are concerned.  The Minister of Education needs to make a stentorian declaration: Ministry of Education schools are NOT social welfare agencies.  Pupils (and their parents) who fail to comply with school rules will be issued with trespass notices, valid for two years. 

We are left wondering whether Minister Hipkins will manage to get his head around such a complex and difficult course of action.  Unlikely.  He has shown himself skilled and adept at closing successful schools.  We expect he will continue to set government schools up for repeated failure. 

He lacks the vision and courage to back desperate professionals like Pat Newman and his much abused colleagues.