Alison and I
are on our way home from the G20 meeting of schools heads in Lima, Peru. It has
been a wonderful blend of cultural learning; reconnecting with relatively new
friends; discussing ideas about educational innovation from superb schools from
around the world; and listening to impressive Peruvian leaders which included
university presidents, an international justice, journalists, the CEO of the
country’s largest bank, cabinet ministers, presidential candidates and Nobel
Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa.
At this
meeting, there were heads and their spouses from: Australia, China, Ghana, Hong
Kong, Kenya, Peru, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, UK, USA and, of course,
Canada. Some of the schools represented are large, fewer small; most private but
a couple public; some very old and some quite young; a blend of day and
boarding; some single sex, but mostly co-ed; and some only high school but
others range from pre-kindergarten to matriculation.
It is clear
that the realities of different countries bring with them very different
challenges. Some are trying to better engage parents, while other schools are
trying to get parents to be less interventionist. There are varied dynamics
around faculty management and compensation, but many similar thoughts around
faculty growth and development.
There were,
however, a few themes that seemed to be shared by the vast majority of
participants
1) Character education – how we develop
graduates with a strong sense of morality and a commitment to societal
contribution. More interesting are the conversations about how to makle this compatible with more
traditional indicators of academic success, including university admissions and
results in standardized tests (which often reward wrote style learning)?
2) Mental Wellness – increasingly but
to varying degrees, my colleagues feel that a significant portion of their
challenges relate to student mental health, personal coping skills, and
mindfulness (or the lack thereof). More specifically, the intersection between
these kinds of issues and school culture is an area that schools are trying to better
address in more creative ways.
3) Systems for teaching and learning
that promote collaboration and creativity. Increasingly, ideas of cross or
non-disciplinary work by students is seen as important in developing their
ability to make connections between seemingly different concepts, as well as develop
different aspects of problem-solving skills and ways of thinking. How these
skills are being developed in primary, middle and high school programs is one
of the more exciting trends in education. Perhaps the most famous example of
this is at the MIT media lab.
So, those
are a few of the common threads in leading schools around the world, all of
which we will incorporate in Appleby’s next strategic plan, currently under
development.
The Founder of the G20 and its Secretary is a fascinating man.Dr.
Anthony Seldon serves as the Master of Wellington College (perhaps not an
unexpected title for the head of a school founded by Victoria & Albert as a
tribute to the Iron Duke.) Anthony also serves as the Executive Principal of
Wellington Academy, a state school founded and run by Wellington College based
on its own operating principles and programs as one example of their commitment
to the public education system. Anthony is a passionate, eloquent and inspiring
voice for progressive education both in the UK and internationally. This link
to an address he
made at the University of Birmingham last year provides you with a taste
of the kind of conversations that take place at G20 meetings and the calibre of
leaders I am privileged to learn from.
And finally,
on the subject of this year’s host school, Markham College, here is the profile
of what they expect to develop in their students:
The attitude of a Markham graduating pupil ought to
reflect:
- A strong commitment to honesty and justice
- Self-confidence but not arrogance
- Compassion and a genuine interest in the needs of
others
- A willingness to apologise graciously when wrong
- An ability to work effectively in a team for a
common purpose
- An appreciation of the natural world and the
determination to preserve it
- A sharp awareness of one’s own limits, the
preciousness of life, and the gift of time
- A strong work ethic, balanced sensibly with time spent with family and friends
As I read this and met some of their
student leaders, it occurred to me that these sentiments would graft very well
onto Appleby’s mission. And indeed, they would seem to parallel the values of
this group of heads from every corner of the globe, further reinforcing for me
that educational greatness has more points of commonality than differences,
especially when it comes to purpose.
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