The teacher simply wants the best for their student. By Year 12, we would expect that the student recognises their role in changing the narrative, to take responsibility, submit the work and of course the next lesson is a new beginning.
We made it to the end of term but the girls are tired! We are also seeing high levels of illness at the moment – more from influenza than from COVID-19 – and this underlines the need for some proper rest in the upcoming holidays.
In Canberra recently, the Year 6 students learnt how to vote, ‘wrote’ new Bills, debated contemporary issues in the ‘Senate’, engaged in role-play as Members of Parliament and Government Officials, investigated the extraordinary lives of scientists, artists, architects, and heroes of war and interacted with each other and people they had not previously met – with utmost confidence that they were equipped to participate in these activities. They were, without doubt, demonstrating agency.
Australia is blessed with universal access to schooling and, earlier this year, we were reminded how lucky our daughters are. Staff heard a moving account from a parent whose family were forced to flee from the Taliban, and whose wife and daughters had to hide in the house basement secretly studying until they were able to leave Afghanistan.
You may have noticed that we’ve started introducing each of our 12 QPA Committee members and their roles, in the last few newsletters. This is not to flatter their ego or to satisfy a need for recognition – albeit it is always nice to be recognised for a job well done, especially when delivered by a team of enthusiast volunteers – no, this is so parents can reach out to them to give feedback, make suggestions, or simply offer your help. The purpose is also for you to understand what the committee does and what role each volunteer plays in creating an enjoyable journey for the girls and their parents during their years at Queenwood.
When we were in Year 7, the Head and Vice Head Prefects seemed to be an image of perfection, exemplifying Queenwood’s values of truth, service, and courage, and embodying everything we wanted to be. If we thought about it at all, we would have assumed that the path to those positions had been filled only with achievements and successes. Now that we hold the roles ourselves, however, we know how far this assumption is from the truth. We are all too conscious of the countless failures, disappointments, hat detentions, and nights filled with tears which we have both experienced in our time at Queenwood.
Like many of her friends, Year 10 student Penny Jin used to love reading when she was in primary school. But a busy schedule and change in priorities meant her love of books slowly waned. That changed over the past two years after her school, Queenwood School for Girls in Mosman, introduced a mandatory 20 minutes of reading for all 900 students at the same time every day, regardless of what class they were in.
The lives of our young people have changed. In the classroom, technology is everywhere and has opened up different modes of learning. In social arenas, smart phones and social media are changing the nature of conversations between family and friends. Yet, there are core themes of wellbeing that transcend time and remain important for every child. One of these is the role of the bystander and, whether your child is 8 or 18 years of age, it is more important now than ever.
If a single image could conjure up ‘education’, it’s probably that of a child learning to read. Teaching reading is both the most researched topic in education and, probably, the most contested. Some decades ago, those disputes may have been more understandable, but the research base has now developed to the point where the evidence in favour of a particular, systematic approach is overwhelming. That body of evidence is now known in the profession as the ‘science of reading’.
Many of us have experienced the benefits of an active lifestyle and it is common for the habit of participation to begin at school. What you may not have considered in your own school days is the extent to which the sex of the participants or gender stereotypes might influence how the program was designed and the impact of this on participation.
We need your daughters at school. We need them to spend time together in order to feel connected and fuel the tank of social relationships for the rest of the year. We also need to remind them that sometimes life is not all about you – it’s also about being there for others. Being present for each other is a gift and we want our girls to grow in this form of generosity.