My husband and I were both notoriously 'truant'. We wouldn't have represented well in any statistics.
My husband didn't have any money as a kid, and was raised by a single mum who was stretched to the absolute limit. He avoided school because he was bullied and he hated his teachers. But he still managed to study later on and get himself into a career. And his mum was there for him throughout.
School is just horrible for some people and it's not until after school that you start to figure things out and get onto a path that is right for you. As long as you have people in your life that care about you and will stick up for you, guide you... In my mind, you'll probably be okay.
So just looking at a study that says "not enough kids are going to school" is only a small part of the story.... I think there is a lot to fear from school these days. Sickness, anxiety, bullying in a degree that we didn't experience... It's so much more complex than the Luxons of the world would ever bother to consider.
Yes I totally agree. I am the same. Whenever I do writing lessons or meet the girls at the teen parent units I always make a point of saying I didn’t finish school and didn’t have the grades for university entry because it’s important they know that you can still have a career even when nothing in your life has gone right. So often the young people I meet have gone through the most unimaginable things and they have more dignity than any National hack.
Young people really need to hear that message I think ❤️
I think Christopher Luxon thinks this is an easy thing to fix like "let's just punish all the kids and parents who aren't prioritising school" and taking a hard line on it will appeal to his voters. Instead of addressing the way more complex reasons why this is happening in the first place.
I know ☹️ maybe that's the saddest part of all of this, that there are people who hear that announcement and think, "yeah that's the guy for me! Teach those little shits a lesson!"
Even though we KNOW that young people who offend are known to the police from a young age because of unhappy living situations....
The thing is that National need to win back the middle swing voter and this policy seems more designed to appeal to the voters they lost to Act. So not only is it an archaic, out of touch policy that will do fuck all to help any kids, I just can’t see how it’ll win him back his slightly right of centre voters?!
I had cancelled my subscription (sorry ☹) because life was getting busy and I didn't seem to have time to read all of the (excellent) articles. I have just read this one and renewed my subscription! Emily - we need people with your eloquence calling out this stuff. Thankyou for saying what many of us think.
The whole school attendance non-story makes me cross. The comparative data was from 2019 after which time nothing is available because there has been a global pandemic on (and during which New Zealand will look comparatively stellar). GAH
Thank you for writing this Emily. I’ve been fuming about Luxon’s comments all week as I isolate with my “truant” child who has Covid. I’m so freaking proud of her for asking to test when she wasn’t feeling sick but had just a tiny tickle of a cough. She understands we’re still in a pandemic and need to look after each other. Her teacher understands and reminds the class to test and stay home if they’re sick. It seems like everyone I know understands. Thankfully I don’t spend much time with the human thumbs who will just never fucking get it.
I just don’t understand how people don’t get that? If a child understands - how can an adult not get it? We rely so much on people testing and staying home. I just feel like we are in some twilight zone where people are just straight up denying we are in a pandemic.
I agree with what you write Emily and admire the way you write it. But that photo is of the late writer Clive James who was actually a very decent bloke. However I doubt anyone under the age of 60 has every heard of him.
I had to Google Ballmer to find out who he was. At 78 I imagine I am outside your usual subscriber demographic, Emily. Maybe these bald old white men all look alike but I think Clive James is nicer looking than Ballmer.
Yeah he’s not known which is unfortunate because we should know billionaires they’re unethical and terrible. I wouldn’t use a writers photo - the joke to me was that so many wealthy assholes look the same. I don’t hate all old men or all bald men I promise! In face I like many of them! #notallmen!
I have heard of him and I’m only 46! My Dad was a big fan. Both my Dad and Clive (old bald white males) are left leaning, liberal social democrats... Dad was anti-apartheid in SA well before the Springbok tour. We have to be careful not to judge all old white males.
I forgot to say that my kids always had very patchy school attendance due to bullying and being various shades of ND, also my youngest was treated badly for being gay. I'm not too scared to say that school is frankly SHITHOUSE for lots and lots of kids and teens, and I don't blame them for not wanting to be there. Which leads me to a heap of praise for Te Aho a te Kura Pounamu (used to be the Correspondence School), they saved the lives of 2 of my kids, thankk goodness for them :)
Rich white men, yes, but I found Nicola Willis's comment that NZ's top income tax rate (at 39% one of the OECD's lowest) was an "Envy Tax" pretty vile. Truer to say that Luxon's proposed tax cuts for the rich are "Greed Cuts"!
Ughhh I missed that comment from Nicola Willis. That’s pretty gross. I’m at the bottom of that top tax bracket and if I am still comfortable and not stressing about money at 39% tax then everyone else in that bracket can sure as hell afford it.
Emily- yes, yes and yes. I try to think that people in his position don't understand what it is like to be that poor, working that hard to not get ahead. Fighting a system to get services for your children...BUT people in his position should make it their business to understand. I had my farmer uncle who I debate with regularly tell me that the minimum wage needs to be at least the living wage, I nearly fell over. years of explaining that our working poor are struggling, and working more hours than most (not drinking and smoking, feeding dogs etc) is finally getting somewhere. It is so easy to relax into comfortable, and forget that families are struggling hard.
Yes this - struggling to not get ahead. I'm so sick of all those comments that go "well my mother raise 16 of us on the dpb and we all went to school and never did crimes and we all have jobs so you're just not trying hard enough"
The sheer arrogance, and outright cruelty, of National's collection of rich males (and unpleasant females, they're all equally dreadful) takes my breath away. I live in terror of the alliance from hell (National and Act) taking over next year. In a country already desperate for more social services to rescue large parts of the population from ill health and misery, we will get more privilege for the wealthy at the expense of what they choose to describe as the 'bottom feeders'. If we classified people on the basis of how they care for each other rather than how they care for their bank balances, the bottom feeders would be a completely different demographic.
God this is depressing .. 100% accurate and fucking depressing. Thanks for putting it all into words so articulately though... I wish I didn't feel so helpless 🥺
I should stop reading these at work because my loud yelps of agreement are alarming my colleagues. 💯 agree. So well put. Thank you for another eye opening, beautifully put piece of writing
And now they're talking about 'boot camp' for 10 year olds!? I could not contain my rage when I heard that on the radio this afternoon. It would never occur to them that maybe the reason kids are going astray is because - for years - National ran down everything, including benefits, and now there's a massive wealth gap (though not for them, coz their mates looked after them, didn't they?) and kids are angry and disengaged and... [continues rant]. Honestly, punishing kids or parents is never going to fix things. Why do they always think that's the answer?! (But not for them *looks at Sam Uffindell AGAIN*). UGH.
Kia ora Emily. I have read your awesome work for a while with pleasure - and a little guilt because I would read it for free. I subscribed today after reading this. It is just so fucking TRUE and so important. I'm a teacher which means I don't have loads of money. It also means I know that what you wrote about what people do for their kids is a total understatement. I cannot believe some parents I have seen are still standing - working their asses off to make sure their kids don't go without - and yet those are the ones Luxon disparages. What a messed up world. Go well x
Thank you so much. It means the world to me that you’ve subscribed.I know money is so tight for everyone here and I so appreciate it. Arohanui and thank you for being a teacher, I’m in awe of teachers and everything they’ve had to carry the last few years. It’s been so incredibly challenging for you all especially. X
This just makes me so angry. Having taught for over ten years absence is so complex for some children. As a Mum it’s something we are struggling with, one of our ND children has had a fair bit of time off at the start of the year due to illness, now near the end of year she is in burnout mode and struggling with relievers and some days I physically can’t get her to school. The school luckily so far have been ok but if it continues or gets worse I don’t know what we will do. We aren’t keeping her home by choice, but some days it’s our only option.
I relate to this so much. It feels like my life too. My kids are exhausted and when Eddie especially is really tired - he gets sick so easily as he’s already immune compromised. It’s so frustrating that people don’t see it. Arohanui kare I get you and I feel angry too.
My husband and I were both notoriously 'truant'. We wouldn't have represented well in any statistics.
My husband didn't have any money as a kid, and was raised by a single mum who was stretched to the absolute limit. He avoided school because he was bullied and he hated his teachers. But he still managed to study later on and get himself into a career. And his mum was there for him throughout.
School is just horrible for some people and it's not until after school that you start to figure things out and get onto a path that is right for you. As long as you have people in your life that care about you and will stick up for you, guide you... In my mind, you'll probably be okay.
So just looking at a study that says "not enough kids are going to school" is only a small part of the story.... I think there is a lot to fear from school these days. Sickness, anxiety, bullying in a degree that we didn't experience... It's so much more complex than the Luxons of the world would ever bother to consider.
Yes I totally agree. I am the same. Whenever I do writing lessons or meet the girls at the teen parent units I always make a point of saying I didn’t finish school and didn’t have the grades for university entry because it’s important they know that you can still have a career even when nothing in your life has gone right. So often the young people I meet have gone through the most unimaginable things and they have more dignity than any National hack.
Young people really need to hear that message I think ❤️
I think Christopher Luxon thinks this is an easy thing to fix like "let's just punish all the kids and parents who aren't prioritising school" and taking a hard line on it will appeal to his voters. Instead of addressing the way more complex reasons why this is happening in the first place.
I still don’t even understand who it appeals to??? I mean that’s what confuses me. I know people are more right wing than me but I mean...Jesus wept.
I know ☹️ maybe that's the saddest part of all of this, that there are people who hear that announcement and think, "yeah that's the guy for me! Teach those little shits a lesson!"
Even though we KNOW that young people who offend are known to the police from a young age because of unhappy living situations....
The thing is that National need to win back the middle swing voter and this policy seems more designed to appeal to the voters they lost to Act. So not only is it an archaic, out of touch policy that will do fuck all to help any kids, I just can’t see how it’ll win him back his slightly right of centre voters?!
I had cancelled my subscription (sorry ☹) because life was getting busy and I didn't seem to have time to read all of the (excellent) articles. I have just read this one and renewed my subscription! Emily - we need people with your eloquence calling out this stuff. Thankyou for saying what many of us think.
Thank you so much Paula! I so appreciate your support I really do!
The whole school attendance non-story makes me cross. The comparative data was from 2019 after which time nothing is available because there has been a global pandemic on (and during which New Zealand will look comparatively stellar). GAH
Also, you are correct Emily. On all counts.
God that makes it even worse.
Thank you for writing this Emily. I’ve been fuming about Luxon’s comments all week as I isolate with my “truant” child who has Covid. I’m so freaking proud of her for asking to test when she wasn’t feeling sick but had just a tiny tickle of a cough. She understands we’re still in a pandemic and need to look after each other. Her teacher understands and reminds the class to test and stay home if they’re sick. It seems like everyone I know understands. Thankfully I don’t spend much time with the human thumbs who will just never fucking get it.
I just don’t understand how people don’t get that? If a child understands - how can an adult not get it? We rely so much on people testing and staying home. I just feel like we are in some twilight zone where people are just straight up denying we are in a pandemic.
Makes me so angry. Imagine putting your hand up to 'govern' all New Zealanders, but thinking you're better than 99% of us.
Also, that photo *chef's kiss*
Right right right???
I agree with what you write Emily and admire the way you write it. But that photo is of the late writer Clive James who was actually a very decent bloke. However I doubt anyone under the age of 60 has every heard of him.
Haha it’s actually Steve Ballmer who has a net worth of like 38 billion - so kind of proves my point!
I had to Google Ballmer to find out who he was. At 78 I imagine I am outside your usual subscriber demographic, Emily. Maybe these bald old white men all look alike but I think Clive James is nicer looking than Ballmer.
Yeah he’s not known which is unfortunate because we should know billionaires they’re unethical and terrible. I wouldn’t use a writers photo - the joke to me was that so many wealthy assholes look the same. I don’t hate all old men or all bald men I promise! In face I like many of them! #notallmen!
I have heard of him and I’m only 46! My Dad was a big fan. Both my Dad and Clive (old bald white males) are left leaning, liberal social democrats... Dad was anti-apartheid in SA well before the Springbok tour. We have to be careful not to judge all old white males.
It’s a billionaire capitalist who hoards wealth so don’t worry!
Oh good! ... but not... because you know, another billionaire capitalist hoarding his wealth😒😫
Unfortunately James went downhill in the 2000s (climate denial; support for Iraq war).
I forgot to say that my kids always had very patchy school attendance due to bullying and being various shades of ND, also my youngest was treated badly for being gay. I'm not too scared to say that school is frankly SHITHOUSE for lots and lots of kids and teens, and I don't blame them for not wanting to be there. Which leads me to a heap of praise for Te Aho a te Kura Pounamu (used to be the Correspondence School), they saved the lives of 2 of my kids, thankk goodness for them :)
Yes exactly- we need to look at the Whys. Just blaming parents is so piss weak. Like who even is the audience for that?!?
Yep totally - it's all about the audience. They've focus-grouped this shit and apparently some people just bloody love it 🤮
The pic of Luxon (probably) made me snort.
Yes, fab funny. All those indistinguishable privileged middle-aged white men.
Rich white men, yes, but I found Nicola Willis's comment that NZ's top income tax rate (at 39% one of the OECD's lowest) was an "Envy Tax" pretty vile. Truer to say that Luxon's proposed tax cuts for the rich are "Greed Cuts"!
Yes 💯 - I definitely see no difference between Judith collins / Nicola Willis & the men btw. Just an easy short hand.
Ughhh I missed that comment from Nicola Willis. That’s pretty gross. I’m at the bottom of that top tax bracket and if I am still comfortable and not stressing about money at 39% tax then everyone else in that bracket can sure as hell afford it.
Emily- yes, yes and yes. I try to think that people in his position don't understand what it is like to be that poor, working that hard to not get ahead. Fighting a system to get services for your children...BUT people in his position should make it their business to understand. I had my farmer uncle who I debate with regularly tell me that the minimum wage needs to be at least the living wage, I nearly fell over. years of explaining that our working poor are struggling, and working more hours than most (not drinking and smoking, feeding dogs etc) is finally getting somewhere. It is so easy to relax into comfortable, and forget that families are struggling hard.
They definitely don’t but they all also have an appalling lack of imagination and an inability to listen.
Yes this - struggling to not get ahead. I'm so sick of all those comments that go "well my mother raise 16 of us on the dpb and we all went to school and never did crimes and we all have jobs so you're just not trying hard enough"
The sheer arrogance, and outright cruelty, of National's collection of rich males (and unpleasant females, they're all equally dreadful) takes my breath away. I live in terror of the alliance from hell (National and Act) taking over next year. In a country already desperate for more social services to rescue large parts of the population from ill health and misery, we will get more privilege for the wealthy at the expense of what they choose to describe as the 'bottom feeders'. If we classified people on the basis of how they care for each other rather than how they care for their bank balances, the bottom feeders would be a completely different demographic.
So with you on that. Could not agree more. And I am so afraid of that alliance too. It feels inevitable.
God this is depressing .. 100% accurate and fucking depressing. Thanks for putting it all into words so articulately though... I wish I didn't feel so helpless 🥺
I feel pretty helpless too. You’re not alone kare x
Misery goblin. 100% apt, and I want it on a t-shirt.
I went through many NSFW insults before settling on that one lol
I should stop reading these at work because my loud yelps of agreement are alarming my colleagues. 💯 agree. So well put. Thank you for another eye opening, beautifully put piece of writing
Thank you ❤️
And now they're talking about 'boot camp' for 10 year olds!? I could not contain my rage when I heard that on the radio this afternoon. It would never occur to them that maybe the reason kids are going astray is because - for years - National ran down everything, including benefits, and now there's a massive wealth gap (though not for them, coz their mates looked after them, didn't they?) and kids are angry and disengaged and... [continues rant]. Honestly, punishing kids or parents is never going to fix things. Why do they always think that's the answer?! (But not for them *looks at Sam Uffindell AGAIN*). UGH.
I know right? I share your anger.
Kia ora Emily. I have read your awesome work for a while with pleasure - and a little guilt because I would read it for free. I subscribed today after reading this. It is just so fucking TRUE and so important. I'm a teacher which means I don't have loads of money. It also means I know that what you wrote about what people do for their kids is a total understatement. I cannot believe some parents I have seen are still standing - working their asses off to make sure their kids don't go without - and yet those are the ones Luxon disparages. What a messed up world. Go well x
Thank you so much. It means the world to me that you’ve subscribed.I know money is so tight for everyone here and I so appreciate it. Arohanui and thank you for being a teacher, I’m in awe of teachers and everything they’ve had to carry the last few years. It’s been so incredibly challenging for you all especially. X
This just makes me so angry. Having taught for over ten years absence is so complex for some children. As a Mum it’s something we are struggling with, one of our ND children has had a fair bit of time off at the start of the year due to illness, now near the end of year she is in burnout mode and struggling with relievers and some days I physically can’t get her to school. The school luckily so far have been ok but if it continues or gets worse I don’t know what we will do. We aren’t keeping her home by choice, but some days it’s our only option.
I relate to this so much. It feels like my life too. My kids are exhausted and when Eddie especially is really tired - he gets sick so easily as he’s already immune compromised. It’s so frustrating that people don’t see it. Arohanui kare I get you and I feel angry too.
Arohanui to you too, your writing is so appreciated