Acting Head of Senior Years

Being ready to learn 

Recently, while reading The Creative Habit: Learn it and use it for life by Twyla Tharp (the famous American dancer/choreographer), I came across the story about a novelist, who from an early age loved the sport of baseball. One day after a professional game, he came face-to-face with his childhood hero and he asked this man for his autograph. The professional player quickly agreed to give it, but he asked this boy for a pencil to write the autograph. Suddenly, this boy realised that he did not have a pencil, nor did his friends or family that were with him.  The player simply pointed out that without a pencil, he could not give him the autograph. 

From that day onward, this boy never left his house without a pencil because he never wanted to be unprepared again. He also discovered that having a pencil in his pocket constantly meant that he was always tempted or encouraged to use it. 

My point is simple – we say that school is for learning, yet how often do we come to school (or any other situation) without really being prepared for it? What do we need to do to be prepared? How are we preparing to learn – to get the most out of our educational opportunities? 

So, parents, what do we need to do to have our children ready for learning?

• Have they gotten enough sleep the night before?  
• Have they eaten healthy, sustaining food?  
• Have they been primed to be ready, to listen, to become involved, to learn?  
• Is their school-supplied device charged?  
• Is their phone turned off and put away?  
• Do they have pencils (pens) and paper ready to use when needed? 
• Do they have an organising place (a binder) for papers given to them? 
• Do they expect you to ask them what they have learned and actively interact with them? 

If we want to learn as much as we can, then we should be ready to learn – always have your pencil… 

Year 11 incursion

On 28 July, the Year 11 cohort were visited by Matt and Lizzie of the Australian Shakespeare Company, to deepen their understanding and study of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet for English this term. During this interactive incursion, the two members guided the Year 11 students through the story and themes of the play, and touched on the symbolic language choices of each character, the historical context of Shakespeare's lifetime, and the way Shakespeare conveyed his views on love, loyalty, and fate.

A handful of Year 11 students had the opportunity to perform the beginning and ending scenes with the company, and contribute to the interpretation of certain scenes. At the end, the cohort discussed who they thought was at fault for the tragedies in the play - a topic that sparked much debate.

The Year 11 cohort thank Matt and Lizzie for their time and amazing presentation!