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Alice Munro has been teaching for over 20 years, but she’s not done learning yet, thanks to a HealthCarePlus Grant for Good.
The experienced primary school educator from Hawke’s Bay recently received a HealthCarePlus Grant for Good that’s enabling her to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Education with a literacy specialisation. The benefits will extend to hundreds of students across her community.
Alice, who lives with her partner and their four children, teaches at Bledisloe School while studying through Massey University’s distance learning programme. Her household is constantly busy with sports, music and activities, but she’s committed to advancing her professional skills.
“I wanted to be up to date with all the advances and changes in literacy education,” Alice explains about her decision to pursue further study.
Her background speaks for itself. She has taught in New Zealand primary schools for more than two decades, as well as five years in London schools. She’s worked across junior, middle and senior levels, previously serving as a literacy coordinator and as a writing moderator for London Borough of Ealing’s Year 6 Standard Attainment Tests.
The focus of her current studies reflects what she’s seeing in classrooms today.
““The explicit and systematic instruction of teaching reading foundational skills like decoding and spelling have been common practice in schools now for a while. Us teachers are really seeing the benefits and progress in reading with students.”,” she says.
Now, she wants to tackle the next challenge: improving writing outcomes for older primary students.
“I’d now like to help increase progress in writing in middle and senior primary school", says Alice.
Finding funding for her studies wasn’t easy. Alice discovered the HealthCarePlus grant while researching scholarship opportunities, learning about it through an NZEI webinar about Ministry of Education study awards. While she admits the application process was “time-consuming”, she says it was “obviously very worthwhile”.
The grant’s impact on her family has been significant.
“It has helped immensely as I did not have to take out another student loan to cover my study or textbook costs,” she says. “The grant meant that my family or I did not have to make sacrifices about what sports or activities we are involved in.”
For other educators considering applying for grants, Alice’s advice is simple: “Just bite the bullet and apply. You have nothing to lose but heaps to gain.” She also recommends allowing plenty of time for applications and seeking advice from colleagues who have applied before.
Alice’s plans for using her new qualifications extend well beyond her own classroom. She hopes to share her enhanced expertise with schools throughout her community, helping students master what she describes as “the daunting task of how all the elements of writing fit together”.
“Literacy is vital to being an active world citizen,” Alice emphasises. “If you are a confident communicator, the world really is your oyster.”
When she graduates at the end of this year, Alice plans to take her new knowledge back to her school and surrounding schools in the Ōtātara Kāhui Ako community of learning, leading improvements in writing instruction that could benefit hundreds of students in the years ahead.
“It’s been amazing. I am so grateful,” Alice says of the HealthCarePlus support that made it all possible.
If you are interested and want to know more this year's Grants for Good and how to apply for one, then click below to find out more.
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