Tara Kanji – creating opportunities for girls

Principal Tara Kanji aims big. She wants Tauranga Girls’ College to be the school of choice for all girls in the Bay. Almost two years since her appointment, she shares the progress with focus.

YOU HAD SOME BIG SHOES TO FILL! PAULINE COWENS SPENT 19 YEARS AT TAURANGA GIRLS’ COLLEGE.

Pauline had long been associated with the school and did a fabulous job. In my first year, I took the opportunity to find out what people already loved about this place and what they might be interested to change. Everyone, from the 1,350 current students to teachers and the wider Tauranga community, had a chance to have their say. Students mentioned a lack of student voice and a narrow leadership structure.

This year we went from three deputies to six deputy head girls covering school spirit, cultural diversity, communications, arts, sports, and learning. We are already seeing the impacts of this change. Our deputy head girl of learning leads positive change within our school, nationally and globally regarding sustainablity. I want students to have greater advocacy so that they can have strong impact. They asked for more visibility of our cultural diversity and more house activities, so this year we had a full school assembly dedicated to the success of our kapa haka roopu Te Tauranga o Ngā Waka, house waiata competition and more everyday use of Te Reo.

AND WHAT WAS THE MOST SURPRISING THING YOU FOUND OUT WHILE TALKING TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL?

SOUNDS LIKE A HUGE SHIFT IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM!

Schools became too assessment-driven but what we actually should be doing is properly equipping our students for life outside school. The world is changing rapidly due to advancing technologies so future thinking and collaborating matters more now than ever before. Students need to be ready for jobs that don’t even exist, different careers, and ways of living. How do we make sure our girls are ready to not only survive but to thrive in new societies? Accessing information is not a problem today – everyone can Google everything. What we really need to teach at school is to understand how knowledge is made and then how to apply it. For example, we shouldn’t just teach math – we should teach how to think as a mathematician. This applies in all subjects because it is the transferable skills that are key, not just the subject knowledge. If we can teach students to be able to ‘flounderintelligently’ they are more likely to be in a situation where they know how to respond, for example, to an unfamiliar NCEA question. They’ll be able to apply their problem solving skills and knowledge from different classes and answer the question the best way they can. Being able to transfer knowledge and skills to different contexts is what prepares students for life beyond school. Rote learning alone is a thing of the past.

DO YOU FACE ANY CHALLENGES IN TAURANGA THAT YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO DEAL WITH WHILE WORKING AT SACRED HEART GIRLS COLLEGE IN HAMILTON?

Every school is different and I have been able to draw from all the schools I have worked at to lead here. What I have learnt is that a school will thrive when all students and colleagues have a sense of belonging no matter who they are or where they come from. Our special character is that we are a state girls’ school that provides opportunities for everyone. We have amazing young women here – three of our top six student leaders are Te Reo speakers and identify as Māori. These students have allowed me to grow my capabilities as well as others in our school, hence positive change has been a result of their leadership and that of our senior leadership team.

One of the things I noticed when arriving here is the gap between people who have access to resources, and those who do not. Reducing this economic disparity is a national issue and I applaud the government’s initiative to address how schools are resourced by considering an equity index. An equity index – replacing the decile system – endeavours to reduce socio-economic factors as a reason for differences in learning outcomes.

We are working with our diverse communities to strengthen our school’s sense of identity and to realise our potential. We are doing this together – students, parents, teachers, and community. This is an exciting time to be at Tauranga Girls’ College and our growing school role is testament to this.

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TARA KANJI RECOMMENDS

BOOK: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

MOVIE: The Shawshank Redemption 

CAFÉ: Love Rosie

DESTINATION: Gujarat State in India 

POSITIVE HABIT: Sing!