Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

SCHOOL LIFE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FACULT Y

The commitment of Havergal faculty to lifelong learning—their students’ and their own—is crucial to the development of the school’s core values. That commitment is fuelled by the pleasure and satisfaction teachers take from their relationships with the girls and young women in their care. The most heartwarming images of Ellen Knox are the ones in which she interacts with her “dear girls.” It is obvious from what she wrote in Ludemus  and elsewhere that she delighted in the time she spent with them, both in and beyond the classroom. From all accounts, those she chose as classroom teachers also found that contact very gratifying. The photograph opposite of Miss Knox with staff was taken in 1898, four years after the school opened.  A photograph taken today would look quite different—if it could accommodate everyone—but there is little doubt that current teachers would have a great deal in common with those who preceded them. Havergal’s teachers have a well-deserved reputation for a passionate dedication to the profession and to the welfare of their students. At the heart of that commitment is the understanding that the relationship between teacher and student must be based on trust. Brenda Robson may well have said it best:  “Building trust is the first step and cannot be done without a great deal of patience and respect. With trust in place, students can ‘hear’ a negative comment and not lose the courage to try again. With trust in place, they dare to open up, take risks, admit mistakes. With trust in place, they can ask for clarification, accept discipline. Trust building takes time. You can be cross with a child, you can reprimand a child, you can discipline a child as long as you are not trying in any way to break the spirit of the child. That spirit makes her unique, and our job as adults is to help the child blossom by building on that spirit.” (Rosemary Corbett, “The Quiet Heart of Havergal,” Torch , Spring 2005) That trust develops, in large measure, from the willingness of teachers to take a very active role in all

aspects of school life, from the very early morning until sometimes late at night. But what, students have asked, do teachers do when no one is looking? As the 2003–04 issue of Kneesocks makes clear, more than one student has speculated about their activities.

“What Do Teachers Do When No One is Looking?” Kneesocks , 2004

However, students might be very surprised by what they learn of the reality. When teachers are not in the classroom, when they’re not preparing lessons or assessing student work, they may well be involved in critically important activities focused on professional development. As Christine Johnson wrote in “The Havergal Chair of Teaching and Learning: Investing in Education,” which appeared in the Spring 2006 issue of Torch , [p]rofessional development is the R&D (research and development) of education. It provides teachers with the opportunity to gain new knowledge, to explore innovative concepts, to share learning with colleagues and to advance the practice of teaching. In addition to providing robust professional development (PD) support for whole-school initiatives like Understanding by Design and Cultures of Thinking, the school offers teachers a wide range of opportunities to expand their “pedagogical repertoire.” Havergal faculty and staff fully understand the important roles they play.

Ludemus, 2013

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