Thanks so much for your interest in our school project.

What we would like: What we are looking for is some personal accounts of school life. We are not doing an academic book about education, but rather trying to draw a realistic picture image of school life. We have visited over a 100 schools to photograph day to day school life. We are adding personal accounts from students (current as well as adults), teachers, and parents about their school experiences. We're not after opinions about school and educational philosophy, but rather a description of your own personal experiences.

Length: Please don't think we need a time consuming, long multi-page essay. Although some folks have provided us absolutely fascinating lengthy essays. Short little clips consisting of only a brief paragraph would also be of interest as we need many short bits to mix in with our photographs.

Type of material: Just about any written material you might like to submit would be of interest, as long as it has a school theme. It can be funny, entertaining, absurd, serious, thouhtful, profound, trivial, pensive, happy, sad, melancholy, exciting, sarcastic, irreverent, laudatory, critical, etc.--just as long as it is not rude.

If you have an artistic bent, we would also be interested in drawings, especially line drawings with school themes.

Subject: Any aspect of school life would be of interest from cycling to school in the morning to after school activities. We are looking for material on coming and going, buildings, day care, classrooms, subjects (math, English, science, etc.), culture (art, music, drama, etc), books and libraries, school meals, activities (clubs), computers, sports, special needs (handicapped main streaming), recreation, free time, animals, individuals, friends, teachers, prefects, class levels (form 1, 2, etc.), houses, Maori culture, foreign exchange students, uniforms, religion, boarding/dormitories, or any other subject which you would like to address.

If you have a specific thought you would like to purse, that would be great. If you would like some suggestions to jog your mind try one of these:

1. The thing I liked best/least about my school:

2. The funniest thing that I remember at school:

3. Describe your favorite teacher (or for teachers your favorite student):

4. Describe your worst teacher (or for teachers your favorite student):

5. Describe an experience at school (pick one): exciting, sad, surprising, embarrassing, fulfilling, etc.

6. Describe recess at your elementary school or what you used to do at break/lunch at your secondary school:

7. What was your favorite subject? Why?

8. Describe your favorite extracurricular activities:

9. What was the most useful class you took? What was the biggest waste of time?

10. What would you change if you were the principal?

11. Describe your uniform? What do you think about it?

12. Do you recall an exciting/interesting incident during a sports event?

13. What was your favorite book? Why?

14. What were school meals like?

15. Was there anything about your school that was distinctly New Zealand?

16. Do you have houses at your school? Describe an interesting house activity or experience?

17. Does your school have prefects? If you are a prefect, describe the experience. If not, do you want to be one?