What is the history, purpose and role of the RTLB?

In 1995, Special Education policy guidelines were released and the policy itself, Special Education 2000 in 1996. This was followed closely by the Special Education SE2000 policy in 1997. The broad goals of the policy was to “achieve, over the next decade, a world class inclusive education system that provides learning opportunities of equal quality to all students” (MoE, July 1996). This was to be done by providing specialist support to ensure students with special educational needs had these met within the framework of an inclusive mainstream classroom, and to provide increased funding to achieve these goals.

In response to this new policy, the Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) service was established in 1999, intended to work collaboratively with schools, whānau and other agencies to provide evidence based support for students with moderate learning and behaviour needs. When first introduced, it was intended that the service would also work with individual students, coordinate support services across sectors, and develop strategies to reduce the number of students with severe behaviour difficulties (Ministry of Education, Update November, 1997). There was concern at the time that “the RTLB service might not be adequate for meeting the relatively large proportion of students with moderate learning and behaviour needs” (ref).

The effectiveness of the service was reviewed shortly after its implementation (1999) and found to meet the needs and expectations of students, whānau and teachers in most respects (64% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied). Many respondents were reluctant to provide feedback due to the very short period of time that the new service had been established. Those that did respond expressed concerns about caseload, expertise, and process. Principals indicated that there was a need for “more hands-on interventions with students and freedom to provide flexible support that matches the needs of the school” (ref). Importantly, the relationship between the classroom teacher and the RTLB was highlighted by Principals as being crucial to successfully supporting students with special needs (ref). The evaluation also highlighted problems within the RTLB service of culturally inappropriate services, insufficient Māori staff and insufficient staffing generally. While RTLB received the most positive feedback generally, and in terms of improved initiatives for Māori students, they were also one of the lowest rated in terms of overall satisfaction in catering for Māori learners with special educational needs.

A further evaluation of the effectiveness of the new policy was undertaken and reported on in December, 2000. In the ‘Special Education 2000: Monitoring and Evaluation of the Policy - Phase 2 Final Report’, schools were asked if “students with special educational needs in the following initiatives are getting a better deal now than before Special Education 2000?” The RTLB service received the greatest improvement in satisfaction (an increase of 20%), along with SEG (Special Education Grants).  Although the RTLB service was also reported to have improved considerably in terms of meeting the needs of Māori students with special education needs, the overall findings suggested that schools had not changed programmes or made provisions to specifically address the specific learning needs of Māori students. The results of the study showed that “many principals, teachers and teacher-aides held negative and stereotypical attitudes towards Maori” (ref). This included low teacher expectations, a lack of understanding of the importance of culturally responsive programmes and services, a deficit model of thinking, and a belief that differentiating Māori and non Māori students was in itself discriminatory.

The final part of this evaluation, published in 2002, showed a continued increase in whānau and schools’ satisfaction in principle with the RTLB service from 64 percent (1999) to 75 percent (2002) and in practice, 49 percent (1999) to 69 percent (2002). An overall increase in satisfaction of 20 percent. Feedback from schools was that RTLB were increasingly working with students with high behaviour and learning needs because there was insufficient resourcing available through high needs initiatives. The RTLB service was again found to be working well for Māori students (14% in 1999 to 47% in 2001). Within school barriers for Māori students previously identified, continue.

RTLB were surveyed as part of this study, and their responses highlighted specific measures that would improve their confidence to undertake their role effectively. These included clarification of ethical standards, practical training on dealing with learners with challenging behaviour, better knowledge of available community support agencies, a supportive principal,  teachers having a better understanding of the role of RTLB and thus more realistic expectations, and greater support from supervisors. Time was also identified as being a major barrier, along with the overly strict criteria required to obtain support for high behaviour and learning students, which increased RTLB workload, putting further time pressure on RTLB.

Another review, The Review of Special Education 2010 Public Response Summary asked the public to feed back on Special Education in New Zealand. It highlighted blah.

RTLB service in Northland

The RTLB Cluster 1 service in Northland has some unique challenges due to its location, demographics and its historical context.

The Far North has a high Māori population, with 48.3 percent of the local population identifying as Māori compared to 16.7 percent for the whole of New Zealand (Stats New Zealand). It also has a very high proportion of people living in poverty and almost double the rate of unemployment (10.8%) when compared to the rest of New Zealand (5.8%) (Far North District Council). The median income in the Far North is $22,600 compared to a national average of $53,000. The Deprivation Index places Kaikohe, Moerewa and the Hokianga at the highest deprivation score in the region compared with Kerikeri which has the lowest. This demonstrates the diversity of socioeconomic status in the Far North. 

The Far North is relatively isolated in terms of geographic connectivity to the rest of New Zealand and each other. The populations are widespread, with many small, isolated rural communities. There is no public transport and so private transport is essential for health care and other social services to be accessible. In general, the Far North is considered a hard to staff region and there is a shortage of suitably qualified workers in many industries, particularly in  education, health and mental health services. This can mean long waiting lists and a lack of choice of service provider. Families disengaged or excluded from their local school have few if any alternatives. 

The region has a unique historical context, being the beginning of colonisation in New Zealand. Historically, there has been both periodic intertribal power struggles as well as power struggles between Māori and pākehā, and these legacies still exist today. The region’s tangata whenua include Ngāti Kurī; Ngāi Takoto; Te Pātū; Ngāti Kahu; Ngāi Kahu ki Whangaroa; Te Aupōuri; Te Rarawa; Ngāpuhi and Ngāpuhi ki Whangaroa. Within these iwi, there are 110 hapu. There is ongoing tension between Ngāpuhi and the Crown, who did not acknowledge Ngāpuhi’s rangatiratanga as guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence, 1835. The Crown’s recent failure to negotiate with the subtribes of Ngāpuhi to reach multiple Treaty settlements have impacted these relations. Andrew Little stated  “an agreement on redress for the Crown’s Treaty breaches makes a significant contribution to the wellbeing of local communities” (ref). Understanding the cultural context is important in understanding the importance of a te ao Māori approach and tikanga principles when working in Northland communities.

Need to add in here about RTLB challenges in Northland.

The Why

According to Simon Sinek (2016), it is important to know your ‘why’, your motivation for doing what you’re doing. While I agree that understanding your motivation is important, I’m surprised that Sinek is held up as an authority. He holds no credibility beyond his ability as an advertiser to very successfully market himself on this one idea, which is by no means original. Need to add something here so this doesn't sound so harsh.

Understanding motivation to become an educator, be it teacher or specialist teacher, not only has relevance in developing a professional identity, it is also relevant in recruiting people to the teaching profession. The literature suggests that there are broadly three reasons why people choose to become teachers - extrinsic motivations such as job security, salary, status and holidays; intrinsic motivations such as interest, job satisfaction, dedication; and altruistic motivations such as concern for the welfare of others (refs). The intrinsic and altruistic motivations are interrelated as the feeling of serving others may well be linked to job satisfaction. Career choice stems from the self-concept (ref) and the notion of “self knowledge” (Holland,1959). Sinclair (2008) found that beginner teachers cited altruistic or intrinsic motivation while those that had been teaching for longer were motivated by extrinsic factors. Other studies suggest that primary and secondary teachers, males and females, and teachers in low versus high socioeconomic teaching situations tend to have different motivations (refs). Yüce (2013), in a survey of pre-service teachers, found that they were equally distributed across the 3 main motivators and that females were three times more likely to be motivated by altruism than males.  Yüce argues that the loss of respect for teachers due to decline in salary and teaching standards, has reduced the status of the profession and therefore the motivation to become a teacher for extrinsic reasons has fallen. It could be argued that this may be a factor in the falling numbers of males choosing to become teachers in New Zealand. Yüce quotes a saying common in Turkey, “If you are unfit for anything else, be a teacher” (Özsoy et al. 2010, p. 912 as quoted in Yüce, 2013). There are two similar sayings in New Zealand, “if you can, do, if you can’t, teach” and “if you can, teach, if you can’t, become an RTLB (Retired Teachers Looking Busy)”. These sayings reflect the sometimes low regard teachers and RTLB perceive are held by some members of society. This perception is not a true reflection of the regard teachers and RTLB are held (Waddell & Hallgarten, 2001; Kane and Mallon, 2006). Of note, is the status of secondary school teachers is generally higher than primary, which is higher than early childhood. Males carry more status than females. It is argued that the perceived lowering of status of teachers generally is due to a decline in the calibre of teacher training candidates as a result of low salary scales and increased work demands, making teaching a less desirable profession. While the previous pay settlement has gone some way in remedying this, strategies to raise teacher (and perhaps consequently RTLB) self-image may be required (OECD, 2005). Professions associated with high status are typically "well resourced, have a high degree of autonomy, attract significant trust and respect from those outside the profession, experience high competition to gain entry, and have responsibility for an important role in society" (ref). Perhaps the lack of perceived autonomy and frustration with lack of resourcing contribute to teacher recruitment and retention. This raises two questions, why did I choose to become a teacher and why did I choose to change professions and become an RTLB?

I became a teacher for a combination of altruistic and intrinsic reasons and over time, my motivation became more extrinsic.  My father ran a school in the Solomon Islands, where I spent my early years, and my mother ran the local hospital. On return to New Zealand, my father became Principal of a South Auckland primary school and my mother retrained as a teacher. They were both strong role models for making a difference in people’s lives and promoted education as a great equaliser. I also wanted to be fulfilled and challenged, and as a mother of young children, having the school holidays was an added bonus. I was working as an unqualified teacher in a secondary school in Britain and was offered the opportunity to study concurrently to gain my United Kingdom teaching qualification. When I made the decision to move to New Zealand, I retrained as a primary school teacher. My lower status was immediately evident, even amongst family and friends. This surprised me, as I worked much harder at primary level than I did at secondary and presume expertise in subject knowledge is the basis for this disparity. I have mainly taught in Years 7-13, specialising in Sciences, Mathematics and Digital Technology. I was very lucky to have considerable autonomy in all my teaching positions and had the confidence to do what I knew to be good practice regardless.

Over time I became disillusioned with the system which I believed had become more about accountability, data collection and administration, with less time and fewer resources. I felt the system had lost sight of what is best for the child, and pitted schools and teachers against one another as they competed for students and recognition. I moved into middle management, hoping that I could make a difference, especially for those students marginalised by the system, and teachers overwhelmed with assessment demands and endless meetings. However, I felt impotent to effect change, or perhaps lacked a strong enough voice at the time. I was no longer getting the reward of classroom practice, I felt inadequate every day, and was working seventy plus hours a week. It tipped the work-life balance and affected my overall wellbeing. Extrinsic motivational factors of job security and a regular salary meant persevering.

I was fortunate at this time to have the opportunity to work closely with an experienced RTLB who was inspirational in the way that she empowered teachers, students and whānau. She provided the impetus I needed to make a change and supported and encouraged me through the process. If I had remained in the classroom rather than opting for leadership, I would probably still be in the classroom. Circumstance led me in this new direction. My dissatisfaction with current trends in the education system remains. While I can see change on the horizon, change seems to be coming too slowly and I worry for the students that have and will continue to pay the price in the meantime. Having said this,  I no longer feel disempowered. I do feel that I can be an agent of change in this role and my personal and professional values are no longer in conflict.

Wellbeing versus fulfillment

Practicing fiercely

My stance is explored on previous pages (refer PLP: Domain 1). At a microlevel, my supports include family and friends, and in particular, a partner who is also a teacher with whom I can bounce ideas and challenge thinking. I have some really good friends who are also colleagues, and using them as sounding boards is hugely grounding. I am a self-motivated learner and strongly grounded in scientific processes, so using research has been great to keep me thinking and challenging myself. Keeping an open mind. For me, stamina comes from maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I made a rule when I started last year, that I'm happy to work evening as required, but my weekends were going to be for me. Well, study has changed all that, and it should be a work-home-study boundary. I'm working on reestablishing this for next semester. I have had an unsettling year. My mother has dementia and I am the only family close by. Also, I have been technically but not actually, homeless for a year now. I live in a tiny house on wheels but have not had anywhere permanent to plant myself. For a year now, I have been moving between short term house-sitting and camping grounds. The stress of trying to find a place to call home while property prices are soaring and relative equity of deposit is decreasing, has not helped with work-life-study balance. I have literally just settled on a property and so am hoping that being able to get into routines, like getting back to the gym, will help restore depleted reserves. Its about being able to switch off from work and study and switch on to the other things in your life that are important. Having the ability to control that switch and say to yourself that you've done all you can for today and literally stop. After more than 20 years, I had not developed this skill when I was teaching and I worry for my colleagues still in the classroom.  Fulfillment in my work is relational, I do gain fulfillment from problem solving and seeing successful outcomes. I also feel fulfilled when I know I've worked in a way that is in tune with my professional values. Long term, I would like to know that I've empowered others to realise how much they have in their kete's and that sharing their kete's they have the solutions. Nāku te rourou nāu te rourou ka ora ai te tamaiti.

References