New lease of life for Life Education with Jonny
New co-ordinator will spread message with Harold
The Life Education Horowhenua branch has been given new life, now that a new co-ordinator has been appointed. Jonny Thompson brings years of teaching experience to the role, which has been in a bit of a slump in the past few years, not in the least thanks to Covid-19.
Jonny said it is his job, with the help of sidekick Harold the Giraffe, to visit local primary and intermediate schools to teach the health curriculum.
“It is about social wellbeing and mental heath plays an important role. Addiction to substances, including vaping, come up a lot.”
Jonny can take on a variety of subjects during his visits: “Whatever the schools wants.”
His territory runs from Tokomaru and O¯ piki in the north to Paekakariki in the south.
“That’s 36 schools. Sometimes we stay for a few days, sometimes for a few weeks.”
Life education has been around for 38 years and works in 40 regions across the country.
“For junior students topics most dealt with are friendship and resilience. For seniors they add addiction, especially vaping, to that.”
He said it is his job to spread positivity. “Harold has his own mobile classrooms with interactive games, nice aromas wafting around. We want to be joyful wherever we go. Harold’s classroom is in a big truck which gets towed to each school by Emmerson’s.”
His predecessor, Paula, did the job for 10 years, but moved into teaching a few years ago.
“She developed the programme we use here. The impact she has had is huge.
“When I show up somewhere they all go ‘oh, but you are not Paula’.”
Jonny has been a teacher for 10 years. He said the size of the school and the topics they want him to discuss determine how long he stays around.
“Schools usually buy us in on an annual basis for a set time.”
He said he and Harold are keen to come, so contact him at kapiti@lifeed.org.nz, or lifeeducation.org.nz or by phoning 027 628 0257.