Leadership learning enabled at NZTC Symposium
International keynote speaker Luis Hernandez had the audience on their feet during his presentation at the fifth NZTC Symposium last week. 86 delegates attended the annual event in Auckland and 28 in Christchurch, to share, discuss and reflect on ‘ECE Leadership in Our Times’.
Hernandez, a front runner in ECE management and leadership topics and co-author of ‘Learning from the Bumps in the Road’, instantly connected with attendees. Within minutes the charismatic American had people establishing new connections and sharing their passion with others.
“You have to have a sense of passion. You’ve gotta love the work you do. Leaders are role models and the people you lead look to you to see your passion… Always have a smile on your face,” shared Hernandez.
Five key topics were elaborated on during Luis’ keynote presentation. Curiosity, confidence, team, communication and fearlessness were all named as integral to effective leadership in the workplace and beyond.
Luis also emphasised the importance of family in early childhood education stating, “You can’t only love the children, you also need to have a relationship with their family.”
Nancy Bell, New Zealand Ministry of Education Director of Early Learning, attended the Auckland event to outline their upcoming plans for early childhood education as they look to design programs that will strengthen the quality of early learning.
Bell shared statistics on how sustained ECE participation is at 96% with 81% of parents satisfied with the early childhood services their children receive. Delegates were also pleased to hear that 20 year old Te Whariki will be updated in the coming year with the learning outcomes reviewed, ready for release early next year.
Delegates from all corners of the early childhood sector participated in the symposium with positive feedback flowing in.
“Luis has reminded me to be strong and confident when I am teaching and to practice my leadership everyday…. with intentionality.”
“It is not always easy to keep one’s passion flowing in daily life. Luis reminded me how important it is to actively pursue our passion and to fearlessly continue doing what might feel uncomfortable as it most likely is the right thing to do.”
“Not only was attending some of the presentations beneficial but also talking to some of the attendees about their teaching philosophies and how they would change and adapt them after attending the symposium.”
“A whirlwind of passion and inspiration but also a reminder that we don’t have to know the outcome of everything before we even have taken the first step. Be courageous, try out new things, be scared but do it anyway and remember to have fun along the way as this will be a great motivation to keep on going.”
After successful days of collaborative learning and reflection NZTC Chief Executive Selena Fox commented, “The NZTC Symposium gives members of the early childhood community the chance to grow, learn and share conversations together. This year’s leadership topic was fundamental to our sector as passionate and knowledgeable leadership is critical.”
