People and places
What we’ve learned about equality Clare Smith reflects on a festival with big ideas In the last issue of this magazine I wrote with pride about the planned introduction of an Equality Week at our school. We organised a weeklong festival that aimed to highlight inequalities within our culture and address them through information, activity and personal response. If it’s possible, I am even more proud of our students now. Our school buzzed with activity and engagement, and a new belief in the power of student leadership was awakened. It felt extraordinary. The festival captured the interest of our young people, gave a voice to the voiceless, and shed light on the darker side of society. That said, while it would be easy to speak only of the overarching successes, it is important to reflect on the challenges we faced, both in the planning and the execution. As the event was just beginning I received an email from a colleague asking if we were going to deal with any substantive issues during the week, rather than simply ‘first world liberalism’. Challenges are helpful; Dweck in her book ‘Mindset’ warns against groupthink, an environment where total agreement leads to poorer decision making, and it’s important to value colleagues who are prepared to ask questions and offer constructive criticism. But this comment did not, perhaps, take account of the driving force behind Equality Week. It was not about trying to solve Spring
Autumm |
| 2017
every inequality; instead it was a student-led response to the inequality they saw in their communities. While some saw our areas of race and ethnicity, gender, identity, sustainability and justice as being too focused on a first world experience, a greater number felt pleased that this week was accessible to our entire student body and opened dialogue about issues they confront daily. We all know how valuable student voice can be; empowering students gives them far greater ownership and, by extension, responsibility for their learning. However, one of the big challenges for schools is to determine what is appropriate. Part of the impetus for Equality Week was the belief of some sixth formers that they live in a sexualised culture that reinforces patriarchal expectations and where no topic is barred from jokes and ridicule. The fact that they were not always able to talk openly about their own experiences felt like an indictment of the very context that they were hoping to change. My belief is that school should prepare students for the world ahead. I worry about the message we send when we don’t validate the voices and opinions of our young people. So when a student comes to us and says ‘This is happening to us and we want to talk about it’, I want us to face it head on and say ‘Let’s find the right way’.
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