Valuing values

As I am learning more about tikianga Maori, I am becoming acutely aware that I can never really hope to “know” about tikanga. As a non-Maori mainstream teacher however, I can become more aware of aspects of tikianga Maori that relate to diversity within my own classroom.

The following are purely my interpretations and it is hoped that my awareness of and thoughts about these values might make my teaching practice, and how I go about it, more relevant to Maori students in my class.

I believe that whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, mana and tapu are, perhaps, the values that would have the greatest relevance to our classroom life. However, I have included the values of utu, noa and ea as they relate back to some of the others.

Whanaungatanga – An awareness of the importance of whakapapa in the lives of Maori students and a focus on developing effective relationships. What do we, as a class group, expect of each individual member and in turn what support and nurturing can each member expect from the class group?

Manaakitanga – What characteristics do we want as a class or group to become identified with? For individuals within my class this means helping students conceptualize what type of person they aspire to be? How must we think and act to help us attain these goals?

Mana – I need to have an awareness of existing social mana of the Maori students in my class i.e. Mana tipuna “People of mana draw their prestige and power from their ancestors.” (Mead 2003). My understanding is that mana can also be earned. In my classroom I will encourage students to identify, acknowledge and build on situations where mana is gained by what they do within the class group e.g. achievements in all areas, ability to help others succeed etc.

Tapu – As a classroom teacher I need to have a clear awareness of the tapu concerning elements related to school life. How many of us are aware and careful not to offend Asian students by using beckoning gestures and yet don’t realise the importance of avoiding passing anything over the heads of Maori students? I know that I have done this many times in the past and have been totally unaware of any wrongdoing. There are many other situations that I need to be aware of concerning tapu and this will take further learning, talking to cultural experts within and outside our school and sharing this awareness with all students in the class.

Utu – When I am dealing with conflict involving Maori students I will be more aware of the concept of utu as it relates to revenge and compensation. However if we, as a class have embedded the value of manaakitanga, then restoring balance in conflict situations will be more clearly guided.

Noa and ea – In my class I see this value as ensuring that balance is restored after times of unrest, conflict or unhappiness. That all members of our classroom group, including me has resolved any concerns and that we are ready to move forward together.

As I stated earlier, these are my own interpretations and preliminary thoughts of tikanga Maori as it relates to my classroom practice. I welcome any thoughts or comments that you have.