The Bulletin
Friday 24 April 2020
Issue 160
From the Headmaster When I reflect on my own teachers at school, I still can only recall them as Mr or Miss. I am not even convinced that as a boy I thought teachers had first names. Indeed, fiction seems to reinforce this stereotype, unsurprisingly Mr Chips is always just plain old Mr Chips. Where literature does venture to provide first names, they are deliciously eccentric. The Harry Potter series, for example, provides names of its staff as diverse as Albus, Horace or Rubeus for male colleagues, Minerva, Pomona or Dolores for female colleagues. I admit the RGS is all the poorer for the lack of such names in our current staff room! Likewise, I struggled to ever imagine a teacher wearing jeans, having a life outside the school buildings, or, in fact, being normal! Despite this being the 21st century and, rightly, schools being far more relaxed and humane communities, elements of these clichés still ring true today for many students in their perception of teachers. Well-earned respect for teachers is right and proper and the last inspection acknowledged the strength of this culture of mutual respect between students and staff at the RGS. Respect, however, does not come from being aloof and distant, and this period of remote learning has emphasised this and has in many ways strengthened rather than diminished the sense of connection. Students see the staff teaching from their own homes (albeit with blurred or set backgrounds), dressed smartly but not in formal work clothes. Lessons are not infrequently invaded by a household pet or by a young child. Rather than in any way detracting from the experience, this strengthens the sense of humanity and normality. The lockdown has peeled away layers of staged professionalism from all areas of life, which in many ways is a good thing. The One World: Together at Home compilation of live musical performances allowed us insight into celebrities who were stripped of their usual façade and were ‘relatively’ normal – the Beckhams sitting together on the sofa, Mick Jagger’s retro décor and floral curtains, and Taylor Swift’s shocking wallpaper. Even Elton John had to rough it with his grand piano on his outdoor patio! But this stripped back reality makes people listen more closely to what is being said because there is greater empathy of individuals who are parents, or individuals having everyday frustrations such as the speed of wi-fi, or the reflection of the sun on the screen, or a spilt drink. It reminds us the true basis of community that we are all simply human beings, some of us are just slightly bigger or older than others! And so in this edition of The Bulletin I would like to express my genuine and heartfelt gratitude to all the staff of the RGS who have reinvented themselves as teachers, who have embraced the technology, but most of all who have remained true to their vocation: passionate about their subject, passionate about education, and passionate about the students. It will continue to be a steep learning curve but rest assured we are fully committed to making this experience as dynamic, challenging and engaging as possible, and if a lesson happens to be gate crashed by a dog or a toddler then so be it. Do not expect us, however, on any account to reveal our first names! #RGSTogether. RGSGuildford
Registered Charity No. 1177353