From the Principal
For the last three weeks, I have hosted a series of Principal’s Focus Groups for the Girton Community, in which our students, parents, carers, teachers and staff were encouraged to share their views about our School.
Albert Einstein penned a phrase in a now famous quote: “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” While the talents of one of the most influential physicists of the twentieth century are a discussion for another day, there is no denying that Einstein’s boundless curiosity led to incredible discoveries for humankind.
I love this concept of ‘passionate curiosity’. It implies a genuine interest in learning, and inspires learning about things we may have no initial interest in. For those who struggle to find their passion, curiosity is one of the best ways to discover it. I believe one thing we do well at Girton, and it was a reoccurring theme throughout the Focus Groups, is to provide our students with an extensive choice of activities through our Performing Arts, Music, Sport and Co-curricular programs. Throughout Junior and Senior School, our students are presented with opportunities to stimulate their curiosity and ignite that ‘spark’.
As a scientist, I am driven by curiosity and a need to know more. I prefer to ask the right questions than pretend I know all the answers, and as Girton’s School Principal, it is my duty to nurture this sense of curiosity in our students, in our parents, and importantly, in our teachers and staff.
As educators and parents, we must continue to follow our curiosity just as Einstein did. We must give our children the time and space to seek out answers for themselves. We must give them freedom to play and explore and ask open-ended questions, such as, “I wonder…?”
This is how I framed a key question at our Principal’s Focus Group sessions. The “See, Think, Wonder” approach was developed by Harvard University, and I first experienced this strategy during a workshop facilitated by an employee at Independent Schools Victoria. When the facilitator prompted attendees to reframe their questions as “I wonder..” the tone of the session changed completely.
During Girton’s Focus Groups, parents asked questions such as, “I wonder how Girton will continue to attract and retain the best teachers in such a tough recruitment market?”, “I wonder how teachers can maintain a healthy balance of classroom time on and off screens?”, “I wonder how Girton will keep up with the skills required by this generation of learners in Maths, Technology and STEM?”
Our teachers asked, “How can we streamline our systems so we can spend more time focusing on our students rather than administration?”, “How can we best align our teachers’ interests and expertise with Co-curricular activities to ensure the best experience for our students?”, “How can we refine student reporting to give parents a timely indication of how their children are performing?”
As you can imagine, each question sparked healthy discussions, and in some cases, healthy debate. These conversations presented me with an invaluable opportunity to connect with our School community and to be alerted to immediate concerns and longer-term considerations, and I am energised by the experiences, thoughts and reflections that were brought to the table.
Without questioning there is no discovery, and without discovery there is no learning. As parents and as teachers, we may have differing ideas and opinions, but we all want what is best for our students. We want them to be happy and feel safe, to develop their knowledge, abilities and confidence, and to establish a point of view. With passionate curiosity we will continue to strive to give our students the best education possible, with the tools and resources to follow the paths of their choice with their own passionately curious approach.
Dr Emma O'Rielly
Principal