Windy Ridge Boys Farm

Sharing a passion for literacy for all

Why Take On More Boys?

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Government, teachers and commentators continue to argue over in introducing national standards for literacy and numeracy in schools. "There's about 150,000 kids failing in our education system every year" admits Anne Tolley. The lack of adult literacy is becoming endemic throughout New Zealand, says one of our most eminent education academics, even after millions of dollars have been channelled into adult literacy initiatives.

The less-than-impressed Pro Vice-Chancellor of Massey University College of Education Professor James Chapman believes the New Zealand Government has already proved that financial investment into promoting literacy over the past 10 years has had less-than-favourable results. Results from a 2006 international adult literacy survey that focused on adults in the workplace showed minimal improvements over a similar 1996 survey. "In fact, the results are worse for young adults who were most recently in school, with considerably more adults aged 16 to 24 years featuring in the lowest two levels of literacy in 2006 than in the 1996 survey," says Prof Chapman. Half of the young adults tested were not performing at the minimum level needed to function properly in all aspects of life – work, family, and community. He says New Zealand's experiment with the whole-language approach to literacy instruction and early intervention has now flowed through into adulthood.  “A key skill in learning to read is learning the links between sounds in spoken language and the letters of the alphabet that represent those sounds. Children who can’t figure out words when they’re reading get bogged down and many eventually give up.

Meanwhile it is very clear that thousands of young boys in the Auckland region would benefit from attendance at our farmstays.  So there's the challenge.

Adult literacy rates continue to slide - See full article at Massay Univercity

Too Phonetic?

via blueyedviking-coffeecupthoughts.blogspot.com re US system

I was speaking to my brother the other day about public schools and his comment to me was ‹We gave up on public schools when they sent a letter home with my daughter informing us that she was "too phonetic in her spelling, the school uses 'inventive spelling'".

Now, this happened a number of years ago, as my niece is now an adult with children of her own, but this was the first I had heard this story. What astounds me is that this attitude is prevalent enough that they would actually put it in writing to my brother.

"This is not a technical dispute about the best way to teach reading," explains Dr. Ghate.(a senior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute) "The advocates of phonics view the very purpose of education as developing the child's mind. Accordingly, they systematically teach a child the facts and principles that will enable him to decode written language. The advocates of 'whole language' view the purpose of education as developing the child's feelings. Accordingly, they denounce phonics as imposing 'an uptight, must-be-right model of literacy' that stifles the child's self-expression. Instead, they say we should begin with what supposedly interests a child--whole words and stories--and allow him to substitute other words, to guess and to otherwise follow his fancy as he 'reads.'

Unfortunately, I forgot to ask my brother if he could read the letter. Who knows what it said if it was written with "inventive spelling"

Breaking Views: Ronald Kitching: Teaching My Kids to Read and Write

Ronald Kitching: Teaching My Kids to Read and Write

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I’d like to relate what happened to my three sons when they first went to school. We were at that time living in Mount Isa. We soon discovered that the eldest boy’s reading and writing was not up to standard. Then the second boy’s efforts were likewise, worse if anything, and the third had also started school, and was not doing well at all. It was at that time that the new “look and see” method of teaching kids to read was introduced. Obviously it was not working well, as other people were also complaining.
Read the rest of the story at breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com

 

Howard Annan - A Personal Tribute

Howard Annan passed away a few months after being diagnosed with leukaemia. Howard openly shared and actively supported my dream and vision to restore New Zealand's literacy levels to those enjoyed up to the 1950's.

Howard
Howard like each of us had a literacy history. He had a very boy friendly childhood in Africa where his parents were missionaries. He didn't learn to read until he was about nine when his family moved back to New Zealand. Hence his interest in literacy.  Howard supported our vision at Windy Ridge Boys' Farm in many ways.

First and foremost by feeding me spiritually - mentoring and encouraging and offering wise counsel, he often said that we were missionaries too. Wisdom was evident in this suggestions on important issues. With voluntary staff he was always impartial and non-judgemental - a brilliant mediator and an inspiration.

On a practical level he pitched in employing his considerable skills with camera and computer to produce a wide range of material - brochures, newsletters, personalized stationary precisely and beautifully presented. Poor Howard despaired at my own pathetic computer illiteracy. He was like Dorius and a lady written about in Acts 9 v 39 whose creations in cloth were acclaimed after her passing. His generosity in dropping off boxes of nails etc. - all useful bits and pieces to help build the boys' farm.

Finally his friendly personal input into the lives of the boys, the way he spoke up to them and focused in on their interests, encouraging them to reach their potential. This is how he shared his living faith in a wonderful God that he served so well.

 

 

 

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