Read About It

National: Some Children Left Behind.

You've got the words to change a nation
But you're biting your tongue
You've spent a lifetime stuck in silence
Afraid you'll say something wrong
If no one ever hears it, how we gonna learn your song?

Songwriters: Emily Sande / Benjamin Kohn / Iain James / Peter Kelleher / Stephen Manderson / Thomas Barnes.

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Morena, folks, before we get into today’s newsletter, a brief update.

At the start of this year, I raised my prices for the first time and also made more content freely available. Alas, the marketing masterstroke of raising prices while simultaneously giving most of your product away for free has resulted somewhat predictably in few new subscriptions, and I’ve been running to stand still since.

Having given this quite some thought, this is what I’ve decided to do:

Stop giving away content and revert to one free newsletter per week, with the rest reserved for paying subscribers.

Until the end of June, I will offer my original price of $8 per month, or $80 per year. If you choose this offer, the price will remain unchanged as long as you are subscribed.

Stop all other offers except the rate for Gold Card holders, which is $7 per month or $70 for a year.

I hope that clarifies things. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions. 🙂

On with today’s newsletter and the government’s plan for reducing literacy…

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One of the smaller items in Nicola Willis’ budget goody bag of coal, cancelled pay claims, and dog turds was the government’s decision to axe funding for 109 Resource Teachers of Literacy.

I say “small” for the reason that this move won’t save very much at all, $39.2 million over four years – about $9.8m a year. However, it’s certainly not going to be small for children with learning difficulties, who will lose that support in their classrooms.

New Zealand Principals' Federation vice president Jason Miles said, “Not only will we lose access to a very skilled literacy specialist for our most vulnerable children, we'll also lose the support that RTLit (Resource Teachers of Literacy) provides our teachers in professional development.”

Literacy Association president Judith Bradley said, “There are so many students out there for whom there is not going to be so much support, and if it's not coming from literacy experts, then who is going to fill the gap for those students?”

On the face of it, a cruel and short-sighted move from a government whose sole objective seems to be to cut spending. It also seems off-brand for Team National. You know, the people who were posting this just six months ago:

The same people who boasted about children spending time on the three ‘R’s, even though they already had been, and now they’re defunding literacy support.

It doesn’t add up.

Have they decided those things are no longer necessary? Or are they going to teach the basics brilliantly to some kids, those without difficulties, and write the rest off?