Week 9 Term 4 - English Department - English Department Publication: Our Voices (December 4 - December 8)

In 2022, the English Department discussed ways we could promote our subject area and celebrate the learning from the subject area. One way that we thought we could promote and celebrate our subject area was through creating a collection of student work, publishing the student and sharing it to their teachers, peers and the wider cluster. I reflected on this in a blog post that I shared earlier this year: 

Alby's Blog Entry Post - 26/01/23

This was an idea that we spoke about throughout 2022 and now in Term 4 of 2023, our first publication - 'Our Voices' - is completed. 

Some of our Year 9 + Year 10 writers for 'Our Voices'

We are incredibly proud of the work that all of our students have done this year. Across Year 9 to Year 13, our students have crafted and created texts (written, visual and oral) that we believe need to be celebrated and honored. As a department, we spend 70% of our time crafting and creating texts with our students, some of these texts are direct responses to a text that we have studied in class. This is a common occurrence in our Senior NCEA Level 1, 2 and 3 English classes. In our Junior Year 9 and Year 10 English classes, the texts that our student's create vary and there is a real push for our Junior students to craft and create texts based on their own personal history, story and experiences. 

'Our Voices' is not just a publication but it is a movement towards how we want to shape and refine our curriculum for English here at Tamaki College. We want our students to understand their voice in a way that helps to challenge, inspire and open their lens to themselves, their community and the world that they live in. 

Click on the image to view 'Our Voices'

Our young people, our ākonga, our tamariki: they are gifted, creative and amazing. Our Voices is a collection and celebration of their work. The writers in this book are students across our Year 9 to Year 13 English classes. The English Department has worked with these students in the crafting of their texts. It has been our privilege to work alongside our young people. 

I would like to thank all of the young people who have contributed to this collection. I would like to thank the entire English Department team: to Ms. Anahina Latu, Mrs. Pravina Harde, Mrs. Christine Williams, Mr. Faiyaz Hoosein, Mr. Jeremy Spruyt, Ms. Francis Kolo, Mr. Marc Milford and Mrs. Viviene Jenson-Jones - thank you for your time, your hearts, and your commitment and service to both the English Department and our akonga.

The heart and vision of this book come from the voices of our young people. Their stories, their opinions, their critical thinking, their creativity and their voices are important, are needed, and matter.