As we hurtle our away through another jam-packed term at New Zealand’s number one primary school, Team 5 has been sure to build on last year’s introduction to Sir John Kirwan’s mental health program, MITEY.
With more than half of New Zealand’s young people suffering from anxiety or depression before reaching adulthood, we understand the importance of being at the forefront of mental health advocacy and providing our tamariki with some of the tools they require to become resilient, confident rangatahi.
Mrs Minnaar may be new to Owairoa, but she has certainly hit the ground running when it comes to assisting her learners with creating a more positive internal monologue. While using the movie Inside Out to engage the students, the class explored the talents and capabilities that are unique to each of them. Mrs Minnaar further developed this concept through sharing a sophisticated picture book entitled, The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be. The exposure to a text filled with empowering vocabulary inspired the creative children to produce reverse poetry, a concept that highlights how something can begin in a negative fashion, but is ultimately transformed into a work of affirmation when considered from a different perspective.
Pertinent opportunities for growth have also been on offer in Room M15, as Mrs Job focused on the importance of kindness and how powerful or damaging our own words can be to others. To add context to this notion, the inquisitive ākonga produced a guideline which will certainly aid them in thinking before they speak: If the person the comment is aimed at cannot change the focal point of the comment for the better – wearing glasses for example – then the words should not be spoken. This particular emphasis was a strand taken from the umbrella of teamwork; creating a strong, supportive network of peers within a classroom, who can and ought to raise each other’s spirits, rather than tear them down.
MITEY is making waves across Aotearoa and for all the right reasons. We at Owairoa fully support what Sir John Kirwan has set out to do and will continue to push forwards with building positive mental health in the wonderful students at our school.
