Taking teaching to waves
After 15 years of holding lessons and teaching in the classroom Charles Gibson is now taking his students to the beach.
Gibson, who retired from his position as principal of Lepperton Primary School after 12 years last year, has begun Surfing for Life, a programme aimed at helping students aged 8 to 18 reach their true potential.
‘‘What we are doing is succeeding in using surfing as a hook to engage students in developing their self-belief through workshops focused on building confidence, resilience, empowerment, ownership and belonging,’’ he said. ‘‘We hope that that will help them engage in future learning.’’
The 52-year-old, who has been involved with surfing since he was five, was inspired to establish the initiative after watching a television programme about a similar project in the Bay of Plenty.
Gibson is running the initiative from Surfing Taranaki’s new headquarters at Fitzroy Beach and uses the services of renowned New Plymouth surfing coach Daisy Day to help students learn the principles of the sport. He has so far organised workshops for New Plymouth Boys’ High School’s football squad and is now working with a group of six from Inglewood High School to help build their self confidence.
Programmes could be tailored to suit the specific needs of any group, Gibson said.
Students Brooklyn Hancock, 14, and Michael McPhee, 15, agreed it was a great way to learn.
‘‘It’s definitely better than being in a classroom,’’ Hancock said.
McPhee said the activities taught them about team work and built co-operation skills.