English

ENGLISH

This year saw many exciting opportunities for students in their English studies. The Year 11 students had the opportunity to attend a presentation given by Kirli Saunders. She is a proud Gunai Woman, renowned poet, and author of a number of children’s books. Many students commented on her passion for writing as well as the connection they felt to her subject matter.

As a part of their study of Post Colonialism, English Extension students focused on Jean Rhys’ classic novel Wide Sargasso Sea. They were very fortunate to participate in a context workshop with ex-Pymble teacher Mr Nigel Stanley. His experiences of life in the Caribbean provided great insights and aided students’ understanding of the novel. The ‘Writing Room’ was an initiative led by Mrs Reynolds and Ms Labram. This was an opportunity for Year 12 students to have an undisturbed, supervised space to work on their creative writing after school on Thursdays. We also saw the return of the Literary Magazine this year. This was an opportunity for Years 7 to 12 students to have their English work showcased to the whole school. We were the editors and it was wonderful to read all of the students’ work from across the three schools.

English in a COVID-19 World

Following the move to lockdown, English at Pymble adapted to online platforms. Teachers modified lessons onto Google sites, Google slides and introduced Jamboard to support online learning. By doing so, they were able to effectively retain and develop a collaborative and inclusive learning experience during English. Additionally, the movement to digital learning allowed for a broader range of interaction across the globe – including live lectures from across Sydney. Our Year 12 girls were lucky to attend one such delivered by Axel Kruse from the University of Sydney about their texts on T. S. Eliot and Richard III. Year 11 students had a special lecture with Dr Anitha Pillai who was a teacher of Creative Writing at NUS in Singapore.

Mic Drop and English Captain Note

As English Captains, we thoroughly enjoyed our role over the past year. It was a difficult yet rewarding experience. We were excited about initiatives we set in place such as ‘Mic Drop’. Similar to the much-loved Poetry Slam, Mic Drop is aimed at giving anyone a free space where they can express themselves and their opinions. The ultimate goal is to create a non-competitive environment where any student can practise communicating, negotiating, public speaking and debating.

Interviews

We interviewed two keen English students, Helena Tang, Year 7 and Louise Bennett, Year 11: Helena Tang, Year 7 How do you study for English? As I only came to Australia in Year 4, I used to find it hard to understand words and how to use grammar. But because of my love of reading, I started borrowing books from the library whenever I had time. I used to write all the words I didn’t understand in a notebook and when I got home, I would go on my laptop and search up the meanings, and I still use this way to improve. Each week, I would also write either an essay or a narrative so that when there was an exam I didn’t have to panic because I was prepared. I love how I can sit quietly in my room with a pen in my hand and create a whole new world with amazing characters. What was your favourite text that you explored in English this year? My favourite text was the book called King of Shadows by Susan Cooper. I like the way the author introduced the world of the Elizabethan era in a clear and meaningful way which I found easy to understand. The book is a great blend of the modern world and the Elizabethan. King of Shadows had a huge impact on me. After reading the book, I was curious about the world of William Shakespeare, and the way each of his plays has a deep moral about ourselves and humanity. My class was given the opportunity to research about him in English, which I loved and enjoyed a lot. I cannot wait until the next time we can get to know Shakespeare and his plays more.

Louise Bennett, Year 11 How do you study for English? To study English, I try to get really acquainted with my texts and the themes that they explore! I like to annotate my books and put tabs where I notice a recurring theme or motif, which makes writing essays much easier. Doing some academic reading on JSTOR was also very helpful in formulating well informed and structured arguments.

English

ENGLISH

What was your favourite text that you explored in English this year? I really enjoyed reading and unpacking Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys in English Extension. An eyeopening, post-colonial rewrite of the classic Jane Eyre, Wide Sargasso Sea is rich with metaphor and emotion. Wide Sargasso Sea is the type of book that changes the way you read. Rhys’ exploration of the voices that were silenced in Jane Eyre is profound and heartbreaking. It taught me to never gloss over or dismiss the portrayal of a secondary character again – I now will always wonder what their stories are, where they came from and what motivated their actions.

We also interviewed one of our current English teachers, alumni Ms Julia Green (2011), as well as one of our former Pymble teachers, Mr Stanley. Ms Green has been teaching at Pymble for just one year while Mr Stanley taught at Pymble for 19 years!

Ms Julia Green What does English mean to you? For me, English is about empowerment and compassion. Through reading and writing, we can develop our confidence and ability to communicate with others about anything; we can participate in rich discussions, feel connected and elevate our voices so that we are heard and represented. English provides us with the skills to come to the table and express our concerns and experiences and be active members of our wider communities. This, I believe, encourages compassion, empathy and understanding in an increasingly complex and diverse world. Learning English (and other languages) means opening up the conversation for everyone to participate in, so we can listen and learn from each other. Why did you choose to become an English teacher? I became an English teacher because I believe in the power of stories. They have had an important role in my life, and I am thankful for the beautiful narratives and works of art that others have composed. They can inspire us to explore, reflect and make connections so we can make better sense of who we are. Stories can build a more inclusive and empathetic world and it is so important that we continue to teach and share them.

How has your experience/context impacted how you teach English? Growing up between Japan and Australia has taught me the importance of teaching for cultural inclusivity and understanding. My experiences as a student, traveller and teacher have led me to appreciate that schools are a safe space where students from diverse backgrounds can connect through learning and understanding. As a result, I am interested in understanding intersectionality and representations of identity and believe education and literature can act as a powerful tool in working towards achieving social justice. I hope I can help students find their unique voices. When I was at Pymble, I was fortunate to have had wonderful teachers who made school a supportive environment that encouraged my growth and fostered a curiosity and passion for life-long learning. This is also my goal. Mr Nigel Stanley What does English mean to you? The English language is how I usually communicate. It is a very elastic and compendious tongue and most of the rules which govern it are consistently broken by those who use it and love it the most. This flexibility and lack of hard and fast rules are, perhaps, the characteristics that make it so acceptable and useful in so many countries today. Teaching it has taken me to interesting places. Why did you choose to become an English teacher? My mother used to tell me constantly, “Whatever you do, don’t become a teacher” but when I left university I wanted to travel and teaching English was a good way to fund a travel bug at that time. All sorts of places in the world wanted English teachers so I took a post-graduate course in teaching English. I told my mother, “It’s only for a couple of years, I want to travel as much of the world as I can.” I met my wife at this time who also wanted to travel and we set off for our first adventure in 1971 when we went to Jamaica. Our older daughter was born there. Jamaica was our first experience of living in a culture very different from our own. When we got back to the UK it all seemed drab and predictable and within 12 months we were living in Kenya where our second daughter was born. We travelled for another 17 years after that before finally settling in Australia. Both our daughters are married, one in Sydney and one in Canberra, and there are five grandchildren. How has your experience/context impacted how you teach English? It would take a major work of some 500 closely printed pages to even begin to deal with this question. In general, I have attempted to avoid impacts in my life. Car crashes, bicycle pileups, planks falling on my head, fisticuffs and pugilism have never been attractive to me. Impacts are not pleasant things, as a rule but everything we experience affects how we use language. A I Richards (you can google him) said, “… to ask about the meanings of words is to ask about everything.” I like to think I have opened up some minds to in depth curiosity. Tahmara Thomas and Jasmine Zhi, Captains of English

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the sudden passing of Mr Nigel Stanley in December. The idea for the interview, printed here, came from students Nigel met just last year. So intrigued were they with a teacher like him, erudite, personable, self-effacing and with a wicked sense of humour, his knowledge of and delight in literature, was unsurpassed. Those of us who knew him will miss him greatly. We have lost a wonderful mentor and friend. We are sure the wider Pymble community will mourn his passing and we extend our deepest condolences to his family.