A Few Final Thoughts

Although this blog will no doubt be cleared following my departure from the school, I just wanted to put a couple of parting thoughts down. It has been a great adventure at Fahan. It is wonderful school with a great community and one that consistently punches above its weight when it comes to a whole range of involvements.

Given the period of time that has passed since I commenced, at the risk of criticism, I want to put a few thoughts on the record. I have already written on what I consider makes a good school but at a personal level, for me it is the open and smiling faces of young people who appear so excited by the journey ahead of them. This is what really sets the flame alight – it is what makes one want to be at school each day and it is what ensures one sticks to the task, even when things are not as rosy as they might be. It represents a clear indication that something is going right.

Our staff has been brilliant. They are a particularly dedicated and generous lot in the main and manage, almost without exception, to bring out the best in the students, both academically and in their broader lives at school. The school is richly blessed with the caliber of personnel who work here.

I do, however, have two concerns about where education is going. The first relates to the role of parents in the lives of their children. I emphasize these are broad strokes with which I am painting and certainly do not apply to every family. The vast majority of our population are excellent parents who are clearly in turn raising some absolutely brilliant and delightful young women. However, it worries me greatly, that across our society generally, the level of accountability to which our young people are held continues to drop. Less responsibility taken by some parents for the performance and general upbringing of their children is often leaving their offspring adrift from life’s realities and without a fair and reasonable set of parameters within which to operate. A willingness to jump to their defense when they err and a more concerning failure to allow the processes of fair and reasonable consequences to be applied to them, masks a weak attempt, in some cases, for parents to cover for what ultimately may well be their own failure to play a more consistent and active part in their child’s upbringing. 

This situation further amplifies itself where young people move into the world beyond (and even while still in) school, without understanding that when one does something wrong there is a consequence. They have not been allowed to accept accountability for their actions, therefore they are effectively graduating with a strong sense that they are bullet proof and untouchable. The resultant behaviour around the streets, in the malls, on the buses, late at night around the club scene are, in my view, the direct result of this failure to be proactive, fair, strong and consistent with our expectations of them as they have grown up. It is further accentuated with a failure of our court system to impose consistent and strong consequences for those who misdemean. 

Parents need to reassert themselves in their family environments. Saying “no” as appropriate is a legitimate and reasonable way of starting the process. Children need to understand and appreciate their boundaries and this little two-letter word can assist. Despite what one may be lead to believe, the fact is that schools cannot continue to take on more and more of the fundamental responsibilities which should still be and remain in essence within the domain of the parents.

The other major concern I have for the future is the level of political interference that continues to creep into the operations of our schools. Mostly the work of bureaucrats, who may have at some time had an association with schools, whose knowledge and understanding of the current, day-to-day challenges involved with the education of children would be lucky to occupy as much as half the space on a 3c postage stamp (note, they no longer exist, which further emphasizes my point!), this increase in regulatory, dumbing down of a school’s operations provides an unnecessary, often irrelevant and short sighted attempt to fix all that is wrong with the system as it exists. Well pardon me for saying so, but it’s true! Apart from all of that, it amounts to more and more paperwork, an act in itself that obviously does little more than keep some of these people employed and pushing paper from one desk to another as the micro brains of government attempt to sure up their political manipulations with little more than the next election in mind! 

My view is that the question of school effectiveness and as a direct correlation, the performance of our young people can be more positively influenced if we are able to solve my first concern. We are, after all, independent schools and as such we must stand on our record. We are audited, we register and re-register every six years, our staff are registered, we complete a variety of time consuming accountability requirements that are directly linked to our level of government funding (including having a flagpole!) and so the list goes on…. Above all else, we exist, sinking or swimming in the educational market place so long as we are producing the goods. What more powerful a model of accountability can there be? Nothing more needs be said.

No doubt any of the anti-independent school proclaimers who read this will take some alternate view. However, when the time comes (as it hopefully will) that governments realize every child is entitled to a good education and the provision of this can be directly related to parental choice AND then supports families, by allowing them to use their funding entitlement to make that choice, then we will see which schools and their staff perform up to the standards we all might reasonably expect.

Enough from me. Thank you for allowing me the privilege to lead this great school for the past thirteen and a half years. Bye for now.

School is more than a score

I cannot understand why the media continues to put such a focus on the top 100 set of TCE results. All it does is assist the uninformed or more easily influenced into thinking that such an achievement is a legitimate method of comparison between schools – State and Independent, Catholic and State, Catholic and Independent. In effect, it places a single piece of data before the public and in so doing overlooks the true worth and breadth of all our schools and colleges in terms of what is on offer for our young people.

Seeking information about a school’s academic performance is a legitimate investigation but it is only one aspect to what often can be, and most frequently is, a significantly greater and all embracing experience. I am not suggesting such a measure is not important, but the reality of life is that we can not all be capable of achieving in the top 100 and those who don’t, more often than not, still have much to feel successful about in terms of their achievemements. In the same way, pro rata, I am happy to undergo scrutiny of the top 100. But what does it tell you? I suggest, not a great deal about any school!

The academic (and other) achievements of our Fahan students are admirable and deserve celebration. If comparisons must be made on this basis, then I am happy for our school’s perfomances to be put under the microscope. However, I equally feel that the results of the large number of other students whom the media fail to recognize or even consider to any extent, are of equal worth in terms of their achievements. These students have also done well. They have also succeeded and are, in the vast majority of cases, equally deserving of high praise. The educational experience is about significantly more than simply achieving a TE ranking, high or otherwise, and should also seriously consider the significant and broad range of academic, musical and sporting experiences, along with a plethora of other co-curricula opportunities offered, within what is a diverse, exciting and balanced set of experiences on offer for the students in our care.

A Stitch in Time Saves 7

Hugh Mackay reminded us a few years ago that the the first law of communication is, “…not what the message does to the audience, but what the audience does with the message…..” In other words, in order to successfully communicate with someone, it is important to understand the attitudes, views and values that make up the environment in which they operate. If the message isn’t relevant, there is unlikely to be successful communication.

In similar vein to the above, a wise Principal of mine from some years ago suggested earnestly to me – ” If you can’t get your message across in seven minutes, the message is no good!”

These two ideas are directly related in our attempts to communicate with our children. It is a reality that schools and more especially, parents are grappling with this challenge on a daily basis. We want to help, guide and mentor but how can we ensure we do this effectively, ensure our message is heard and understood, without taking longer than seven minutes to deliver it? Not always an easy task!

Invariably, we are trying to assist their growth. Sometimes it is due to being over-protective, trying to help them avoid the pitfalls we ourselves fell into at their stage of development. On other occasions it is simply due to a build up of circumstances to the extent where we just want to fulfill our positive desire to guide them and be regarded as worthy mentors whose wisdom, based on life’s experiences, should be seen as invaluable. Ultimately, this is all about nurturing.

For me, nurturing is linked inextricably to growth and this occurs in the context of education, support, care and empathy. We all recognize the enormous responsibilities with which both parents and schools are charged, but at its core, nurturing is all about developing in our young people the strong roots that will allow them to stand strong and tall no matter what challenges life presents to them.

The greatest chance of success, in my view, is when both parents and school are in accord. It must be a joint effort and linked to the building of trust and respect in what I would refer to as the relationship pyramid. We cannot continue to push them without spending at least equal (I supect more) time building this environment through mutual respect, care and ultimately, trust. I think we sometimes fall down due to circumstances that often cause us to react as opposed to being proactive. At the same time we can become over inclined to defend young people when they err, rather than hold them accountable in order that they learn from their mistakes.

In order for us to maximize the possibilities, the ideal of the pyramid needs to ingrained, as part of the family/school support base……early. It is not impossible to inculcate when teenagehood arrives, it is just a lot harder. Trust has to be earned and if we expect our offers of help to be suddenly accepted, when there has been little time dedicated to establishing such foundations in the previous twelve years, I think we are deluding ourselves. Success lies in the consistent and persistent efforts we make to establish and maintain open and honest communication over the years.

As with a good crop, success in growing strong, healthy, reflective and well adjusted young people lies in the proper preparation of the environment. The home needs to be rich and fertile, a place where weeding is done on a regular basis along with the addition of a life sustaining sprinkle of water in equal measure. There will always be weeds and pests to deal with and overcome, but if there is trust and respect that has been grown and nurtured, we stand a better chance of reaping the benefits come harvest time.

What greater reward can there be than to gaze upon an adult who has grown from an environment which has provided a well prepared base, sprinkled with the fertilizer of human love, kindness and respect? Of course there will be storms of doubt and adversity at times, yet, having overcome these challenges, he or she can stand strong and confident in the knowledge that there is a strong foundation upon which to further grow and develop. Is this not then a true demonstration of the power of effective nurturing?

So, in returning to where I began – we can’t expect successful communication unless we have built trust in our relationships with our children over time and in so doing learned to appreciate the differing perspectives of their world. This really remains, in the large part, the cornerstone to a successful seven minutes, although such a time frame may be needed on more than one occasion during our childrens’ lives.

There is an advantage for girls in an all girls’ school

I have either taught in or been Principal of every gender mix that schools have to offer. The balanced view is that a child will do well and excel if they are happy and engaged in their education, no matter what the mix. You only have to read or listen to the words of most Principals espousing their views on this to know that one can mount an argument supporting the particular mix of their own school that sounds very convincing. They believe what they are saying…….but I happen to believe that there is a great opportunity and therefore significant advantage for girls to be educated in an all girls’ school.

There is any amount of research that supports this view. It has been backed up by significant research over many years. One can easily gain access to such material. It has also become more relevant over recent times as education authorities and schools focus their attention on the education of boys at an increasing level of awareness. In this sense, the whole concept of single gender schooling becomes a broader issue of debate, but that is another issue. I want to make a few observations that I believe reflect the benefits for girls of being educated in an all girl environment.

It is an accepted fact that girls learn differently to boys. In a situation where staff can tailor their teaching to the learning characteristics of girls and thus engage them meaningfully, not just in terms of pedagogy, but also through the full range of their educational experiences at school, the benefits begin to show at a very early stage. One can see this evidenced by simply spending time in a classroom with a group of girls as they apply themselves with great verve to co-operative group challenges that are put before them. In addition the data shows that academically, results in all girls’ environments are superior to those in co-educational environments.

It is quite evident that girls enjoy learning models that are better suited to their style, especially where they have a role in establishing the agenda for situations that offer collaborative opportunities into which they can direct their efforts.

It is my view that in girls’ schools, staff can genuinely teach their students to think big. They quickly learn that they are expected to lead and expected to study Mathematics, Science and IT. These pursuits are no longer (and haven’t been for some time) the domain of their male, student colleagues. There need be no fear of stereotyping, there are no limits to how high they can reach and importantly, the staff and their peers can support them in their risk taking.

When it comes to leadership among the student body, in an all girls’ environment, they come first, second and third, filling all the places available to them. Here is a wide ranging set of experiences open to all of them and, all who lead, will be girls. They can participate and influence to the extent where outcomes are directly related to the needs of girls. In this way they are not only making a contribution to their student society (and their school), they are influencing it with a view to positive change. What a great cornerstone for the roles they can seek in the wider world beyond school! What a brilliant grounding this offers them!

Similarly, an all girls’ environment will assist them think beyond themselves. As women are now the largest buying and professional market in the history of the world, such a situation encourages them to make the “big” decisions in keeping with their goals, without fear of having to lower their expectations. And, on the occasions where they don’t quite make the height, the nature of such an environment is supportive to the extent where there is no disgrace and lessons can be learned without fear of ridicule.

In an all girls’ environment the students can be specifically challenged to extend themselves. They can “get their hands dirty” and have a go at whatever they wish, in terms of the offering that is put before them. They are encouraged to think and work outside traditional boundaries. Success is an individual expectation and as such will assist in maintaining their self esteem. More broadly the environment will assist them in all areas of their development, thus increasing both their sense of self-belief and security.

The civic leaders of tomorrow are today’s girls (if they aren’t already). They will be so because of the special and heightened sense of camaraderie that exists in all girl learning environments. Where they are the focal point, they rise to levels that in other situations they may find unnecessarily restricting and less supportive. Such an engendered level of enthusiasm and desire to be successful, sets these young women on the pathway to becoming confident, astute and discerning members of the society they will lead.

Why Choose Us?

Colmar Brunton, a social research organization, has recently completed some significant work on what determines school choice. The report is not in publishable form yet but its findings are especially interesting, particularly for those of us in Independent Schools. Their findings are compelling in the sense that they provide reinforcement of what schools like Fahan aim to provide for their students. They also support the underlying ideals held by parents in seeking an education such as we offer their children.
A. The four most important outcomes for parents of children in Primary Schooling are – Reading, Writing and Mathematics; That children gain confidence and self esteem; That they be happy; That they develop a love of learning
B. The four most important outcomes for parents of children in Secondary Schooling are – High academic performance; Confidence and self esteem; To be happy; Ablility to think for themselves
C. Overall, the long term outcomes sought are – To be able to think for themselves; To be happy; To be prepared for employment; To gain confidence and self esteem.
Of significance, I think, were the following key findings – In relation to Independent School choice parents chose Independent schools because of the following factors – good teachers; disciplined environment; good facilities; educational excellence; supportive and caring environment; reinforcement of moral values; small class sizes.
Finally, word of mouth is seen as the most important determinant influencing parents and children. This is particularly important for schools such as ours because it shows that what we say and how we speak about Fahan, does have a significant influence in terms of our enrolment patterns. Such a powerful determinant should not be underestimated. There are other factors involved, of course, but these cover the top listed responses.
I believe, on the basis of the research conducted and the outcomes sought, parents have every good reason to be confident about their decision to enrol their daughters at Fahan.