The Future

I met my form class for 2008 today.

A bunch of us teachers walked across the field out the back of the high school at 9.00am to the intermediate and into their school hall. After awhile a group of kids came in. Maybe 100 to 150 or so.

While the kids were all sitting on the floor, chatting, waiting to be told what to do, tugging at sleeves, watching this clutch of new teachers carefully, I thought: "this is New Zealand. Sitting in front of me is the future. Sitting in front of me are the middle-class drudges, the lives of the parties, the prisoners, the athletes, the cleaners, the executives, the geriatrics and the car crashes of the next 80 years in New Zealand". It was sobering and exciting.

You're handed an incredible responsibility as a teacher and as a parent. I hope I can do my best for them. For her.