Janine Konings
When we arrived in Timaru, we looked at the local schools, and asked the girls what they thought.
Janine liked TGHS, Katarina thought Craighead was better, so rather than making one miserable, we went with their choices.
There were times in that first year I wondered if we had made a mistake. I said to the school - Janine is a bright kid, please can you put her in the top stream. They didn't test her, as the person in charge of testing was away, and put in the class of the one girl she knew at TGHS, who also happens to be very bright, but was struggling with English as a second language a little.
The class was challenging. There were discipline problems, many of the girls struggled with learning, and Jaine was often frustrated because she was bored, having finished the work while teachers struggled with behavior and with teaching such a wide range of mixed abilities. To make matters worse, key teachers left, and a series of relievers came and went, which unsettled the class further, and disrupted learning even more. Even the principal at the time, who came in as a stop gap measure struggled with discipline.
Janine's teachers appreciated her that year, and every year since. Janine was reflecting last night that most of the girls from that class have left school, and we wonder what might have been.
Last night, Janine was awarded the History Prize for 2012, and also the Citizenship prize for service to the school and the community. She has made a great group of friends, and also exercised considerable skill and insight in supporting them, choosing who to spend time with, and what to participate in.
The whole atmosphere of the school has changed for the better with the arrival of the new principal, Sarah Davies. The school has also been particularly fortunate this year in their head girl, Charlotte who was also named dux last night. Her speech was the best I've heard a head girl give!
Mum always says 'Cream rises to the top,' and I think Janine has proved this adage in her school career. I am so proud of the way she has accepted the challenges in front of her, tried some new things, like croquet, and worked hard to make the most of her opportunities.
Janine liked TGHS, Katarina thought Craighead was better, so rather than making one miserable, we went with their choices.
There were times in that first year I wondered if we had made a mistake. I said to the school - Janine is a bright kid, please can you put her in the top stream. They didn't test her, as the person in charge of testing was away, and put in the class of the one girl she knew at TGHS, who also happens to be very bright, but was struggling with English as a second language a little.
The class was challenging. There were discipline problems, many of the girls struggled with learning, and Jaine was often frustrated because she was bored, having finished the work while teachers struggled with behavior and with teaching such a wide range of mixed abilities. To make matters worse, key teachers left, and a series of relievers came and went, which unsettled the class further, and disrupted learning even more. Even the principal at the time, who came in as a stop gap measure struggled with discipline.
Janine's teachers appreciated her that year, and every year since. Janine was reflecting last night that most of the girls from that class have left school, and we wonder what might have been.
Last night, Janine was awarded the History Prize for 2012, and also the Citizenship prize for service to the school and the community. She has made a great group of friends, and also exercised considerable skill and insight in supporting them, choosing who to spend time with, and what to participate in.
The whole atmosphere of the school has changed for the better with the arrival of the new principal, Sarah Davies. The school has also been particularly fortunate this year in their head girl, Charlotte who was also named dux last night. Her speech was the best I've heard a head girl give!
Mum always says 'Cream rises to the top,' and I think Janine has proved this adage in her school career. I am so proud of the way she has accepted the challenges in front of her, tried some new things, like croquet, and worked hard to make the most of her opportunities.
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