Homework centre getting results

Tu Tangata, Issue 17, 1 April 1984, Page 10

Homework centre getting results

By Charlton Clark

Pictures by Tim Koller

Waahi Marae’s homework centre has produced its first pupil to be accredited University Entrance.

And Joyce Maipi reckons there was “no way” she would have been accredited without the benefits of the centre.

For the last few weeks of 1983 a group of Huntly College pupils lived at the marae while they studied for School Certificate and University Entrance examinations.

“We haven’t been home for a while,” one of them joked they even stayed there at weekends.

Teachers, parents and even a former pupil would come down and help out, both with the pupils’ study and with things like preparing meals and refreshments.

When she became free from having to study for exams, Miss Maipi continued to stay at the marae, helping the other pupils with their study and cooking meals for them.

During the day, the pupils studied at desks set up in the meeting house. In the evening, they would move over to the marae’s koriri centre after the workers there finished for the day.

And all of them are adamant their academic careers are improving with the chance to study away from the distractions of home, and with the help and encouragement from their teachers.

All the pupils who used the homework centre in 1982 gained at least one pass in School Certificate, they said a result they would not have achieved otherwise.

And they were looking for similar or better results last year.

All but one of the regular attenders were Maori, and the establishment of the centre arose from the realisation that 80 per cent of local Maori children were leaving school with “no qualifications whatever,” said Waahi recreation and welfare officer Rick Maipi, Joyce’s uncle.

“It grew from an awareness that something needed to be done to encourage the kids to get School Certificate, because when they come out with nothing they find it that much harder to get employment,” he said.

At first pupils from the college were invited to study and do their homework in a flat on the marae being used by a visiting American professor, Corinne Wood, who was doing research into Maori health there.

Gradually parents, teachers and marae leaders became aware that the pupils’ schoolwork was improving and they were adopting more positive attitudes to their work. Teachers and parents began going to the marae to help the pupils until now, two years later, the centre is well established. ‘‘The results are really showing up now in their work,” Mr Maipi said. ‘‘lt’s easier here because there are no distractions here,” one girl said. ‘‘A lot of us come from families with little brothers and sisters running around, and there was a lack of encouragement from parents for them to study,” Joyce said. ‘‘So it was decided to live in here.” Huntly College principal Jack Hughes doesn’t blame the parents, though. ‘‘Many of the parents themselves know that their own educational qualifications are somewhat limited and feel a little embarrassed, or even fearful, to offer advice in academic matters that are beyond their experience,” Mr Hughes said. ‘‘Many of them did not get as far as external examinations, and did not even get the chance, so you can understand their reluctance, but they all want the best for their children.” “But because of their lack of experience they can not provide the appropriate support. So the kids lean on

each other and other people who have had the experience.” He agreed with the pupils that conditions at home were often unsuitable for studying for examinations. ‘‘Often you have Dad, Mum and four or five kids and only three bedrooms in a small house. Dad and Mum both go out to work, and keeping their heads above water is their priority.” But thanks to the centre, the pupils were ‘‘beginning to come to grips with this motivation thing”, Mr Hughes said. The pupils had gained an idea of where they were heading in their studies, and had therefore become more interested in them. They had gained academically, in their attitudes to study, in their attitudes towards other people, and in their knowledge of themselves, he said. ‘‘l hope it continues.” Judging by the pupils’ enthusiasm, it should do so, and expand as well. The area we have to look at now is the third and fourth formers,” Mr Maipi said. ‘‘Certainly for young Maoris there is a problem there. With the summer holidays coming up they start getting into trouble. In that period they need encouragement to go on to the higher levels of education.” One or two third and fourth formers were attending the centre last year, and finding it useful, and the parents of children coming up to their School Cer-

tificate year have been going to the centre to take a look and help out.

A couple from Hamilton’s Fairfield College visited the centre, and the Huntly pupils encouraged them to go back and set up one of their own.

Shelley Saneriva said they would like to see more such centres set up in other areas, and she hoped the Huntly pupils would spread the word about the benefits to be gained.

The pupils admit there was a potential for them to “play up” when they should be studying, especially in the times when there were no teachers or parents there to keep an eye on them.

But, said Joyce, they learnt not to be afraid to tell each other to shut up if anyone became distracting.

“We are moving away from the par-ent-teacher control thing,” she added.

An aspect of the centre which keeps coming through is the sense of family and unity among the group which had developed. Many of the regulars also belong to the school’s Maori culture group, Arahu Pokeka, and their shared lives had established “a unity here, it’s really big”.

If a pupil doesn’t turn up without explanation, the others will go and find out why. When one becomes discouraged, upset, depressed or dissatisfied for any reason, the rest rally around him or her and help them recover their enthusiasm.

And every night before they go to bed they hold “bitch” sessions, when they air complaint’s about one anothers behaviours. This helps get rid of tensions, they say.

Without those sessions, “I think we would all be in little groups whispering about each other,” Shelley said.

And the fact that the centre is on their marae has helped in a number of ways.

Pupils studying Maori language at school get a boost from being in an environment where the language is most

frequently used. Some of the project employment programme workers based there wander in sometimes and help them with their Maori language, as do some of the Maori elders living around the marae. Hearing the language spoken naturally around them has helped their studies, they said. And both the pupils and Mr Hughes are full of praise for the marae leaders, who were among the first to get behind the centre with support and help.

“They have given us, like, control of the marae,” Joyce said. “They have not put any pressure orf us to pay for power or anything like that.” (The pupils bring their own food and “muck in together” to prepare meals). By the time this edition of Tu Tangata is published, the 32 Huntly College pupils who were attending the marae homework centre last year should have found out in the mail just how useful their time there was.