Juggling maths and motherhood
High School Mums profiles young parents at a Hamilton school. Producer Claire Meech tells Sarah Nealon what’s in store.
Becoming a mother is a steep learning curve for many women, whatever their age or circumstances.
The relentless needs of a tiny infant can be a shock to the system, never mind the sleep deprivation and the seemingly endless loads of washing.
But what happens when you are thrust into first-time motherhood while still in high school?
These days help is available at some New Zealand secondary schools via the on-site Teen Parents Units.
Here pregnant students and new parents are encouraged to keep up with their schoolwork.
It’s a far cry from the time when pregnant teenagers left school and were often made to feel ashamed.
A new two-part documentary starting on TVNZ 1 this week follows a group of young mothers based at a Hamilton high school.
Called High School Mums, the programme looks at Fraser High
School’s He Puaawai, a teen parent unit where students learn how to juggle their studies with parenting.
They are also encouraged to consider what they would like to do once their schooling ends. Do they want to embark on a tertiary degree or an apprenticeship? What are their ambitions and dreams?
“It’s very easy for people to dismiss teen parents and I’d really like for people to approach it just with an open mind,” says High School Mums producer Claire Meech.
“Even though I have seen the show through many cuts in the editing process, I still cry during it.
“It’s just extremely inspiring – the unit and the girls. It’s about young people who are literally catapulted into this new life.
“How you negotiate being a teenager is hard enough. But chucking new parenthood in there at the same time is mind-boggling.”
The documentary was filmed
over 18 months and highlights how tough life can be for young parents.
“I think that some students have had extremely difficult upbringings,” says Meech.
This can have an impact on their lives when they are trying to do the best for themselves and their children.
Some students have little or no support at home. Some must grapple with fractured family relationships and off-and-on romances – all while trying to focus on schoolwork.
Danielle is a single mum of two young sons. She dropped out of school at 13 but is back in the classroom and hopes to become a nurse.
While she has a good relationship with her family, they don’t live close by. Danielle rents a house for herself and her children but is thrown a curve ball when the landlord announces the property is to be sold. Trying to find somewhere new to live is daunting. So is doing schoolwork while trying to care for two children.
“Danielle had to change so much,” says Meech. “The boys were her motivation. You know, she wanted to do better. So she did what she could to provide a good life for them. She had to make so many changes and her whole mindset had to change.”
Then there is Dru, a straight-A
Above: Teacher Lee Marchioni. Right: Cierrah and Jonah. Below: Dru and Areka.
student who lives with her grandmother. Dru aims to do a commerce degree at university when she has finished high school. At He Puaawai, teenagers experience a supportive environment where they are encouraged to reach their potential. They form bonds with teens in similar situations and, most importantly, can bring their babies to school. Breastfeeding in the classroom is allowed and their children can be cared for at a creche next door. “The unit encourages the girls to get a routine for themselves and their baby,” says Meech. “Everything is a victory. Every step they take. Getting on the bus in the morning is a victory.” Running He Puaawai is teacher Lee Marchioni, someone who knows first-hand what being a teenage parent is like, having become pregnant at age 17. “We’re so grateful that Lee let us into the unit,” says Meech. “We didn’t know before we started filming that Lee had also been a teen parent. “So when she let that slip in an interview we thought, ‘Oh wow’. “She deeply cares about her job and has a deep understanding of what it’s like herself and carries that into her work. “She’s a very cool lady and has a great relationship with the girls because she comes from a position of empathy and understands what it’s like to be judged.”