AT THE HEART OF TE RITO TOI is the understanding that schools must not just prepare students for the future but they also need to help them make sense of the present. After disasters and crises, schools must as a first priority help learners safely explore the changed world in which they live.
“The arts are the bridge to a better future.”
The stories, concerns and questions they have must be addressed in classrooms. Teachers must lead learners to engage with possibility, to reimagine a better world. Based on international research that confirms the central role of the arts in meaning making and the renewing of hope, Te Rito Toi positions the arts at the centre of children’s return to schooling after disaster and crises.
Grounded in Papatūānuku, Te Rito Toi is at the centre and soul of healing, for even amongst the chaos of seasonal transitions, elemental effects and changes, Te Rito remains strong as the heart of the kōrari (harakeke).
-Professor Peter O’Connor
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SIR JOHN KIRWAN FOUNDATION
ANXIOUS CLASSROOMS, ANXIOUS STUDENTS
Events that shake our confidence and trust in the world leave us all feeling vulnerable and anxious. How we handle that anxiety is key to how well we manage our return to school.
