Ex America semper aliquid novi, OR Houseman

The challenge of the new Ex America semper aliquid novi

OR Houseman questions the effectiveness of new methods

A colleague for many years has always had a severe problem with the start of term. He comes away from the training days and meetings with an air of despondency and approaches the new term with dread. An experienced teacher who has run a boarding house for many years, he has always commanded the utmost respect from his pupils, their parents and his colleagues. Those with less self-doubt cannot understand why one so competent should ever feel anything less than total confidence, indeed joy, at the start of a new school term. New headmasters, and he has seen several come and go, have on occasion seemed wary, presuming that a man of such experience and standing will inevitably present himself as an opponent to the new initiatives which they must inevitably introduce in order to show that a new regime has begun and that things are going to be different. Even they, however, soon recognise that his curmudgeonly demeanour is no more than superficial, and that far from a subversive opponent, they have, in fact, a loyal and highly effective member of staff.

But the start of term sees him at his lowest. A few years ago he did respond quite positively to a visiting speaker. ‘I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation: it was the first talk of its kind which has not made me want to give up teaching’, he was heard to remark over lunch The visitor was not quite sure how to respond, but a few of us assured him he would rarely hear such praise. Just two years ago I thought my gloomy colleague had made some progress towards overcoming his start of term problem. After a very enthusiastic presentation from a new Head of Boarding, he had returned to his house in despair, only to emerge two days later an apparently changed man, celebrating the fact that the boys in his house were the same as ever, and proudly defying any attempts from new Heads of Boarding to make them anything else.

As we walked away from the headmaster’s final address to the common room before the boys returned this year, however, he seemed more despondent than ever. I had seen this plenty of times before, and thought it deserved little attention.

‘After your comments last term, I am afraid I am not going to indulge this from you again. You know everything will be fine once the boys return. And you know exactly what you are doing, you have nothing to worry about. And there was really nothing to worry about in any of the presentations from management this term. No new appointments, so no new initiatives. Very straightforward.’

This had no effect, however.

‘You’ve forgotten someone’, my colleague replied. ‘I have a new Head of Department. That’s what is worrying me this time.’

This was true. There was a new Head of Mathematics, replacing a former incumbent who had held the post for

twenty years and introduced no changes whatsoever during that period. But this was an internal appointment, and we had assumed things would continue pretty much as before.

‘Not true. He spent the whole of August in America, visiting schools. He thinks they do things completely differently, and says we should too. New theories. I simply cannot work like that. He told me I have to do things differently. If that is what I have to do I have no chance. In fact, I’m not even sure I want to try. Perhaps it’s not too late to look for a new career…’

‘Did he talk to you personally, or the whole department?’

‘He pretended to talk to us all, but I know he had me in mind with every word he said. Our methods until now have been restricting, even stifling the pupils’ energy and creativity, he said. This was undoubtedly the fault of the more experienced members of the department, who were too reliant on old methods, too didactic in their approach, and not willing to try new ideas. He wants us to give the pupils more space in which to explore and to take ownership of their own learning. We should not be afraid to allow them to learn from their mistakes.’

‘Oh dear. He didn’t talk about the absurdity of using nineteenth century teaching methods to prepare them for the 21st century, did he?’

‘Of course he did. I think he even talked about training them for careers which had not yet been invented, but by then I had allowed my concentration to wander, so could not be certain that he had.’

I tried to be positive, but for once his despondency appeared entirely justified.

The new Head of Mathematics had been teaching with us for just a few years, but had clearly impressed the headmaster, who had always expressed his own enthusiasm for progressive American methods, and saw the new Head of Mathematics as somewhat of a protégé. As my colleague and I separated to return to our houses and anticipate the return of the boys that evening, neither of us felt particularly positive about the new academic year.

The usual business of the start of term meant that I did not see my gloomy colleague again until the end of that first week when I joined him for lunch in the common room. He

was looking remarkably cheerful, and entertaining a wide circle of colleagues with anecdotes from the first week of term in his house. I found a moment to talk to him alone later that afternoon, and mentioned his despair before the start of term. What had happened?

‘It was remarkably simple’, he replied. ‘I never should have doubted myself.’

‘I told you it would be fine. It always is. Did you have a conversation with your new Head of Department? Told him what you think? Said you are comfortable with your own teaching methods and do not feel the need to experiment?’

‘Certainly not. I didn’t need to. It was easier than that. In fact, I didn’t need to do anything. It just happened.’

He gave no further explanation. Curiously, the new Head of Mathematics was no longer quite as buoyant as he had appeared to us all during the first week in which he confidently explained his new ideas and methods to all who would listen, or could hear. The positive, cheerful, innovative pioneer of just one week earlier was looking harassed, uncomfortable and distinctly stressed. I asked him what was wrong.

‘My Sixth Form class. They are a disaster. They have done none of the work I have set them, and I don’t think they have read anything. I asked them to do some independent research and present to the class and they have come up with nothing.’

A few days later I spoke to my Head of House, a member of this set, and subtly tried to find out what was happening in the class.

‘Well, we were a bit worried at first. He kept talking to us about self-reliance, resilience and independence, but didn’t seem to be teaching us anything. He presented us with problems from topics we had never seen before and asked us to solve them by discussing them with each other. But as none of us knew what was going on that didn’t get us very far. He asked me to give a presentation which I know I did really badly, but I just didn’t know what to do. Then we all got Es in the first test. But since then it has been fine, and I now think I understand it.

‘Well I’m pleased to hear that. Do you think you have adapted to his new methods?’

‘No need. This week he just told us to listen and dictated some really useful notes. I have got top marks ever since.’ OR Houseman may yet adopt the

Schartz-Metterklume Method

&THERE HERE

If you have news of topical interest, however brief, for ‘Here and There’, please email it to Tom Wheare at tom. wheare@gmail.com. Items should not exceed 150 words. Good colour photographs are also welcome.

UWC East Africa

On August 1st, 2019, United World Colleges (UWC) opened the eighteenth school in the movement, UWC East Africa, at International School Moshi, Tanzania, which was originally set up in 1969. The school is ready to welcome 80 students into its International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB Programme) this August, across its two campuses in Arusha and Moshi in the foothills of two of Africa’s biggest mountains.

Becoming a UWC school will involve a substantial change in the composition of the student body, with a more diverse range of international students, over 50% of whom will attend on scholarships.

‘Our rapidly changing world needs a new kind of leadership that is globallyminded, compassionate and courageous, and that thrives on diversity. We are thrilled to bring UWC’s unique experiential education to Tanzania and to offer scholarships for students from East Africa and across the globe to access our IB Diploma Program irrespective of their ability to pay,’ said Jens Waltermann, Executive Director, UWC International.

On top of the IB Programme, students at UWC East Africa will take part in a dedicated Outdoor Pursuits Programme, which includes challenging mountaineering expeditions to Mount Hanang, Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro. The programme is designed to give UWC East Africa’s students exposure to unfamiliar challenges that enable them to develop new teamwork and leadership skills.

They will also be engaged in a wide spectrum of creative, physical, social and community activities through UWC’s Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) projects, ranging from peer education programmes in the local community to a bee farming project in West Kilimanjaro. Social justice and community service both lie at the heart of the UWC movement.

‘We’re very excited about adding to our already diverse community and broadening our reach in East Africa and beyond,’ said Anna Marsden, Director of UWC East Africa. ‘Tanzania’s natural resources and mountainous landscape will give UWC East Africa’s students something they can’t get elsewhere, with plenty of opportunities to experience the mountains and the Indian Ocean coastline.’