Kaiako Toa Teachers who Stand Tall have high student achievement in difficult environments Operate from 11 key beliefs and attitudes

1. Goal Driven Teachers exhibit – Comprehensive Planning – Willingness to deviate from plan – Conscious decision to stay in the classroom – Proven leadership with colleagues

2. Reflection Teachers engage in – Discussing professional insights – Openly seek understanding or clarification – Sharing their knowledge – Owning those things they do not know

3. Professional Development(Pd) Teachers seek – Consistent Pd to articulate their craft – New knowledge, learning excites them – The challenge new knowledge brings – Pd that helps them reflect on their practice.

4. Teachers read Children Teachers keep their classroom – Free of judgment – As a neutral territory – Open – An environment of trust

5.High expectations Teachers expect every child – To live up to high expectations – To succeed with mutual support – To strengthen their skills – To develop school wide leadership

6. Unconditional Love Teachers demonstrate – A public backing of each child – A bonding of their class as a family – Their commitment by sharing their personal lives – Bond building between past and present students

7. Other Teachers always try to understand – and value ethnic and cultural difference – The reason for what they see – The reasons around child poverty – by walking in the shoes

8.Teaching Core basics Teachers provide an environment – That is organized – That is safe – That is creative – That is interactive

9. Wider Community Teachers encourage – An open door policy – Parents popping in – Permeable boundaries – Links with the outside world

10.Modeling Success Teachers purposefully model – Risk taking, making mistakes, self correction – Consistency, firmness, caring – A love of reading – A willingness to ask the students for help

11.Internal locus of Control Teachers empower students by – Encouraging them to take responsibility – Encouraging them to work to please themselves – Encouraging them to establish trust and reflect

Conclusion The sample of teachers was small only nine Yet findings show striking similarity with overseas studies Findings could be used to inform discussion at a Pd level Findings could also inform recruitment processes Findings provide a valuable way forward