Awarded an Associate to the NZEI

Last night was the New Plymouth Branch of the NZEI's Awards evening.

It was an evening to celebrate the graduation of our young PRT's, to farewell members retiring and to  award members for their accomplishments and service.  (Support for and co-operation with Colleagues)

Many of the staff were present to support Katie Fraser and Megan Browning and to join them in celebrating becoming fully registered teachers. We wrote special song versions for them, celebrating their training years with us, which we performed in front of all the other members present. (Support for and co-operation with Colleagues, RTC1)

Also at the end of the programme I was awarded an Associate of the NZEI. This is a huge honour.

Judith Van Kooten with The NZEI National President Judith Nowotarski  after being awarded an Associate of the NZEI

To be awarded an associate the following rules applied.  ( NB the following is for 2015 nominations)

0. 
   NZEI Te Riu Roa Honours 
   
   
   

   Guidelines for nominations/recommendations

   Please read this information carefully (Download these Guidelines and Criteria as a pdf)
   NB: The closing date for nominations for this year is 10 July 2015.

   Recognition of Service to Education & NZEI Te Riu Roa

   NZEI Te Riu Roa has procedures whereby it can recognise those members who have given distinguished or outstanding service to education and / or the Institute.
   Members considered for recognition will have conducted themselves in ways that promote and maintain the dignity and welfare of the Institute, advanced the cause of education and reflected their responsibility to learners and the community.
   This recognition takes the form of the award of Honours, which are considered by the Honours Committee and made on behalf of the Union by National Executive and then announced at Annual Meeting

   Associate
   For the award of Associate, there is a prerequisite of 10 years provisional or full membership of NZEI Te Riu Roa or a kindred organisation although this can be a lesser period in exceptional circumstances. The nominee should have demonstrated a commitment to education, upheld the ideals of the Institute and met the criteria of the particular award applied for over that period.
   The award can be made within one year of the date a member resigned or retired from the institute. 
   
   
   
   The following was the basis for my recommendation for the award. The local New Plymouth Branch NZEI Chairperson requested a full history of my involvement in NZEI. The following is what was sent to her. (RTC1,RTC2, RTC5, Support for and co-operation with Colleagues, Communication, Professional Knowledge)
   
   

   My memory is a bit fuzzy as to how long for some of these things but this is what I can remember.

   
   

   
   

   I think I have been a member since 1978 - may have had a small lapse during my part-time teaching time but always been a member when full time teaching.

   
   

   Year	Position	Place of employment	NZEI involvement
   1978/79	Student Teacher		member
   1980	Student teacher	Hamilton Teachers’ College	Education Officer for Waikato Students Union- ( For both University of Waikato and Hamilton Teachers Training College) - Attended Annual Meeting as the Student Rep
   1981	S4 Year	University of Waikato	Education Officer for Waikato Students Union- ( For both University of Waikato and Hamilton Teachers Training College) - Attended Annual Meeting as the Student Rep
   1982	Year1 teacher	Waipa Primary	member
   1983- 09/87	LT then Teacher then senior teacher	Puketapu	member Branch President - New Plymouth ( sorry can’t remember how long for- I think I was a secretary at one stage too- the meetings were held in the old Education resource centre and lots of people came to branch meetings Annual meeting rep at least twice  might have been 3 - sorry can’t remember. Went to National Office for a working group to plan activities to involve women in NZEI.- I think Carol Parker got me involved in this. “Organised a major conference on education especially as it pertains to the participation of women “  quote from George Jonson in my reference. I can’t remember much about the content but we had lots of different activities for them to participate in- Ithink there were sessions on financial planning and knowing what your union could do for you etc, plus some fun events. It was a popular event and well supported.
   09/87 - 05/90	Sole charge prinicipal	Finnerty Road School	member of local branch Branch President at Stratford- Sorry cant remember dates or length - NB it was a different structure in those days
   05/90- 05/91	Section 11 teacher	Travelling in Europe  and teaching at St Josephs Rotherhithe  LONDON
   05/91- 09/91	Teacher	Bankwood School Hamilton	member
   09/91- 07/92	Teacher	Waitara Central	member
   01/93- 01/96	Part-time teacher	Fitzroy	member
   01/96- 01/02	Part-time teacher Reading recovery	Moturoa	member
   01/99-09/02	Reading Recovery	St Pius	member
   08/03- 12/04	Grade 2 Home room teacher	Berlin International School BERLIN	member of German teachers union
   05/05- 10/05	Reading recovery and literacy support part- time	Mangorei School and Central School	member
   10/05- current	Teacher	Central School	member member of NP Branch Exec since 2011?? WS Rep Central school Branch Rep to AC  PTLT member   2012/2013/2014 Annual Meeting Rep 2013/12/11 Attended Election hui 2011

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Qualifications:

   Trained Teachers Certificate , (Diploma in Teaching) 1982

   Bachelor of Education Degree, ( Waikato University) 1982

   Reading Recovery  1998

   PYP Training Workshop for teaching the International School’s IBO inquiry based learning programme , Germany 2004

   Certificate in Te Ara Reo Māori  Level 2  2011- The Wānanga o Aotearoa

   Certificate in Te Ara Reo Māori  Level 4 ( Advanced) 2012- The Wānanga o Aotearoa

   
   

   Sorry don’t really know for sure total years as a full member but I think its around  ...18 years full time with extra time as a part-time member

   
   

   Total years services to Education will be from 1980 (when I represented as a student teacher in my third year of training) to current 

   ie    about 34 years  ( NB some of those years were part-time teaching, but I pretty much kept actively involved in education in some way every year since I trained.) 

   
   

   
   

   I’ve got a reference letter from George Jonson which says,  “ She has remained an active member of the New Zealand Educational Institute and has represented her region at national conferences as well as holding, with distinction, the office of President of her local Branch. “  dated 26 January 1990.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   I found this picture which is really funny.

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   This is my PTLT bio which is on  the My NZEI website. I have held the position as the Primary Teacher Leadership Team representative on the National Education Advisory Group for the National president of the NZEI since 2012

   Taranaki Representative - Judith Van Kooten 

   My name is Judith Van Kooten. I am the PTLT representative for the Taranaki Area Council of NZEI. I am a full time primary teacher, working with a delightful class of year 2 students in a New Plymouth city school. I have also had experience working in sole charge rural schools, international schools and have held the roles of sole charge principal, senior teacher, classroom teacher, reading recovery teacher and part-time teacher working with children with special needs. Therefore I think I can understand the needs of a variety of NZEI members.

   I have been an active member of NZEI in the past and now step up again because our Quality Public Education system is under attack. I urge you all to become involved and active members in our campaigns. As a PTLT we meet once a term to discuss issues that face primary teachers. Before these meetings I try to arrange meetings or seminars (e.g. our recent NOVOPAY brick in the wall session) where local members can discuss the issues facing them in their teaching role. Also post PTLT meetings I send out a brief newsletter outlining what we discussed. Please watch out for these seminars/meetings and newsletters and ask your local worksite rep for details or copies of them. On my own I can inform, together we can make a difference for both ourselves and our work conditions and for the children that we teach. I can be contacted at judith@central.school.nz.

   Update 29/7/15

   
   

   Attended Taking Stock Moving Forward Conference  January 2014

   Was a member of the voting council to elect an NZEI nomination for EDUCANZ 2015

   Was elected as a representative to attend NZEI Annual Conference 2015

   Was re-elected as NZEI Primary Teacher Leadership Team Representative ( Taranaki Area Council) 2015/16