White, Carol,

A teaching life / Carol White ; [foreword by Charmaine Pountney]. - 241 pages : illustrations (some colour), portraits (some colour) ; 20 cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Carol White's first teaching job was to lay the groundwork for the rest of her career - it was at the liberal and multicultural Wellington Technical College (later Wellington High). She went on to teach at Kawerau and Northcote Colleges before landing a job at Selwyn, where she became co-principal with John Kenny. Under their leadership, Selwyn College grew from a mainly middle-class Pakeha school to one that educated students from 57 countries and 80 ethnicities, babies through to octogenarians, with nearly half of them speaking English as a second language and a number of refugees. Controversy dogged the school, with families, media and politicians blaming the 'Selwyn way' for everything from so-called 'race riots' to 'white flight'. But Carol's approach was also welcomed by many as holistic and humanitarian, and she received an ONZM for services to teaching. [This] is a frank and thoughtful memoir that shows how Carol's teaching philosophy grew out of an unusual childhood and a desire to give her students a safe place to learn and to heal. As the daughter of an often depressed and occasionally violent man, she knew the corroding effect of shame and fear. From her vegetarian theosophist mother, Carol learned the power of the non-traditional approach."--

9780995115422 0995115427


White, Carol.


Selwyn College (Auckland, N.Z.)--History.


Women teachers--New Zealand--Biography
Effective teaching--New Zealand--Auckland.
Education and state--New Zealand--Auckland.