Thursday, August 11, 2011

The view from Centre Stage


Today I spent the day slightly down country and slightly rural, at Waiuku Primary. Though it is considerably bigger and considerably more urban than the school in which I spent my primary school days, there was something about it that evoked memories of my childhood.
It was the ability to see beyond. Most city schools look out on more buildings, but if you stand 'Centre Stage' at Waiuku Primary, you look out across the land to the hills beyond. I wonder if the pupils appreciate this expansive outlook.

I for one spent my all my primary school years at a small four teacher school, Otamarakau School. It wasn't until I returned for a reunion as an adult that I realised that I had been educated in a slice of paradise; the two main classrooms and front field looked out over grassland to where the Pacific Ocean meets the shores of the Bay of Plenty. The view was stunning, and these days the pupils are obviously made to be cognizant of that as their 'motto' is 'A country school with a view to the future'.
Just a general reminder to myself and others not to take for granted the amazing things that are often seen on a daily basis.


1 comment:

  1. It's good to be reminded of just how lucky I am. Your picture and words captured that perfectly. I love that view out to the wild west coast.

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