It’s been a difficult week in Christchurch, under the world’s gaze for all the wrong reasons. The focus is, of course, on a small community so viciously and atrociously attacked, but with all schools placed in lockdown on that fateful Friday afternoon, most families in Christchurch were affected. This was an assault on all of us living here.

There were many heroes last Friday – naturally, our emergency first responders come to mind – but from the perspective of an educator and a parent, the teachers who guarded our children and kept them safe for at least three and a half hours are my heroes too. Many of these teachers are themselves parents. A good number of them would have been separated from their own children, wondering how much longer the ordeal would last, but were required to focus on looking after the children in their immediate care. It’s time like this we should all pause for thought and appreciate the huge responsibility that comes with being a teacher.

So, from the bottom of my heart, I want to say a big thank you to all of the teachers in Christchurch who kept our children safe last Friday; the same teachers who returned to work this week to provide stability for our children, even though they themselves are probably feeling rather fragile. I hope you are all doing okay.

Dr Audrey Tan, Mathmo Consulting
22 March 2019