About me

Introduction on Tony Chittenden 2014
Haumoana School

It was many years ago, sometime in the 1970’s I think, when I decided to become a teacher. I had just completed a degree at Canterbury University in Accountancy and had applied for several accountants jobs in Christchurch firms offering positions in the book-keeping field.

But somehow, counting other people’s money, interpreting the latest Taxation Regulations and doing Bank Reconciliation Statements just didn’t seem appealing.  Nor was being a Junior Clerk, bottom of the pecking order, making cups of tea for those in senior positions.

It just so happened my Auntie and Uncle, living in a state house in the out skirts of Christchurch, and a good base for me to get at least one decent meal a week as a University student, had a delightful 10 year old daughter.

She and I would often talk about meaningful and exciting things in life like climbing trees, avoiding skinned knees while roller skating, the successful strategies for avoiding mother’s tasks, the best way to peel potatoes and how to hide vegetables not liked when eating at the dining room table.

And so with this solid background of knowing how an intelligent 10 year old thinks I applied for a one year course at Training College to become a teacher.

I was accepted, passed with high honours, and, along with a Teaching Certificate, received a suggestion from the dean that I was not to tell so many stories when teaching children. I had already be warned on more than one occasion when on practical short term visits to schools around Christchurch that I was to keep to the task at hand  and not tell entertaining  stories.

So I’ve become a boring old teacher doing timetables, newsletters, interpreting National Standards and writing up appraisals and evaluations.

However, in the occasional  unmonitored lesson, responding to a pupil question of some relevance, I still tell a story if it is in a suitable  context.

During the Blogging Year of 2014 I will attempt to find some time to record some of these as they arise.