A Visit to a New Zealand School

Abstract

If you were to see a picture of New Zealand students and not be aware of the locale, you could easily believe the setting was a Unted States classroom. Meeting them, you notice a difference in accent, but the level of their language development parallels that of American students of the same age. New Zealand students also parallel their American counterparts in their educational development. We noticed no differences between the physical, psychological, and educational development of the New Zealand students and those of a typical group of American students in grades kindergarten through six. Other than in social development, which we will discuss later, Kids are kids is an appropriate summary. American society, with its massive media influence and social pressure, tends to cause its children to mature early. This is seen in dress, behavior, dating, wearing of makeup, and in the appearance of social sophistication. The New Zealand children, in contrast, seem refreshingly naive and much like American children one or two generations ago. They are quite well informed about the history and geography of the United States, including our current events. They are inquisitive about rock stars, films, music, and radio and television programming and stars, but still they are children. During tea and lunch they play on the playground (this was even true at a high school we visited), and they are very courteous and formal in their behavior. Quite respectful of adults, they rise when the principal or a visitor enters their classroom.