Marlborough's new district truancy officer is well aware of how difficult it can be to raise teenagers.
Alan Cummins, a father of four, uses his experience to connect with families who are dealing with children who skip school.
The former primary school teacher, social worker and pastor at Spring Creek Anglican Church said one of his three sons "played up a bit" several years ago and used to miss school, keep bad company and make bad choices.
Now 17, he was back on track and doing a polytechnic course.
"I'm not coming from an ivory tower, I've been there before," Mr Cummins said.
On May 2, Mr Cummins began his new job as the sole truancy officer under the Marlborough District Council's Safer Communities Marlborough, the umbrella group which provides the district's truancy service.
His role covers all 31 schools around Marlborough, but focuses mostly on the three colleges, Marlborough Boys' College, Marlborough Girls' College and Queen Charlotte College.
Mr Cummins responds to referrals from schools and tries to remind the student of the importance of education and staying in school.
Most of the students who were wagging school were 14 or 15, and the problem was evenly split between boys and girls, he said.
The students were sometimes not interested in school or did not see the point of it, he said.
However, many situations were easily explained, he said. For example, a student might be sick and had no landline or cellphone credit to contact the school.
Parents and schools both wanted the best for their students, and it was best if they could work together, he said.
"While I've got all sorts of power [as a truancy officer], I'm trying to keep it low-key.
"It's more about building relationships with families and children."
- The Marlborough Express
SIMON WONG
No comments:
Post a Comment