Why I chose Tamariki School

Written by Linda – April 2016

Tamariki School grabbed me by the throat, boxed me around the ears, and knocked out any scruples I had about saying no to the state school system for my two boys.  Every day, for all those years of their primary schooling, they would be out of the car at the school gate like a shot, eager and ready to start their day, running in through the gate to greet their friends and their teachers. “Bye-e-e-e-e. Love you!” I’d say to their backs as they dashed off. Why the eagerness? Could it be the fantastic, caring, engaged teachers who have the utmost respect for the unique attributes and contribution of each child? Or the beautiful big playground with trees to climb, huts to build, friendships to revel in?

The warm family atmosphere? The time to just develop at their own pace with no pressure?  All those things and more I see embodied every day in my two lovely young men. They are the fine result of their Tamariki schooling, quite different in personality, but both humorous and kind, sure of themselves and who they are in the world.

You may happen to be wondering, as I once did, about academic learning and how and when do they EVER learn the formal stuff? Well, they just do. My oldest has just started a Biochemistry degree at Canterbury University, the younger is a year ahead in getting his NCEA qualifications. So, would we do the same all over again?  Arohanui Tamariki. You bet!