How do you measure character? Joss Williams

How do you measure character?

Joss Williams explains why it is so important to look beyond a school’s exam results

It has been my pleasure and privilege, since arriving in like; I learned what sensitive and sensible pastoral care looks Amman, to meet a broad range of dedicated and expert like and about compassionate leadership. I was taught to lift educators: from fellow nerds (there is no higher praise in my my gaze and look at the whole picture of global education. lexicon) at the Princess Sumaya University for Technology, to I was educated in its true sense. I read books and I talk, and those remarkable teachers with whom I work, to the leaders the best learning I have ever done has been incidental, from of some outstanding local schools. I have even taken tea those I met along the way, and free, and utterly uncountable with the Minister for Education himself. And we talked. All of and beyond measure. Your best teachers are those who see us. We talked about inclusion, about recruiting and retaining the best in you. the best teachers, and the need for excellent education The pathway for a school to the top of the results tables for all in Jordan, and safeguarding children, and behaviour is pretty straightforward; miserable but straightforward: be management, and what the world of tomorrow will look like highly selective in the first place; push out the pupils who and how we are going to produce the flexible, bright, morally stumble; unilaterally withdraw pupils from exams if they centred workers that our wonderful country and the world look slightly below par at the last minute; remove choice need. We tired the sun with talking and sent him down the and select their subjects for them. Ignore the arts and sports sky. And not even once did we talk about results. Instead, we and mentoring and enrichment, and instead just teach to talked about pupils. the exams. It is just wrong and we all know it. The best

I do not decry the outstanding schools put the child at the centre achievements of our brightest and best. Zeina and Rashid are two astonishing The best of the decision-making process and make sure the child does better than people, who gained 45 points in the summer in the IB Diploma, and schools put she would elsewhere, regardless of her background or starting point. The I have no doubt that they are going to change the world – each of them the child at best schools teach well, set goals that are proximal but challenging, support – for the better. They are bright and diligent and kind; proud Jordanians to the centre pupils pastorally, encourage breadth and new experiences, let them stumble the core, and in the end that is going of the and build resilience, and they teach to be the most remarkable thing about them. But a few days ago I spent a decisionvalues and standards. In educational terms, it is called, rather flatly, valuelittle time with another of our recent alumni who, purely numerically, did making added. It means so much more than that term implies, but the truth is that less well. He and his family recently suffered a bereavement, and I saw process. the best schools in the world do not have the best raw results; they add the in his eyes dignity, and strength, and most to the character and experience steadfastness, and a sense of duty to and achievements of each child. Then his beloved grandfather whose proud name he carries, and the results take care of themselves and mean that those I know just as well that this young man is going to make his pupils are ready to take the next step on their journey. mark in life. His upbringing has grounded him and given him So when you are choosing a school, don’t look at raw the best chance to make the most of himself. Numbers do results, just ask one question: ‘Will my wonderful, unique not matter when you have character. child do better here than elsewhere?’ And the answer to

We measure that which is measureable, and think that this that, you will be delighted to know, is measurable, but more is the end of the argument, yet if we pause for a moment, we importantly, worth measuring. can all name people who made a slightly less straightforward path to where they are. I am one of them. We all know that top Joss Williams is Principal of Amman Baccalaureate grades and world-renowned universities are just one pathway. School, Jordan. This article originally appeared

I attended some well-regarded universities, which tells in The Jordan Times on 24 September 2019, you something, I suppose, about the kind of mind I have. But and has been reproduced with permission. I learned my values from my family and my first employer, and from my colleagues I learned what excellent teaching looks Email: jdjw@abs.edu.jo