Torch - Fall 2017

Principal’s Message

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Asking challenging questions helps girls develop a sense of integrity and builds character.

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Asking Big Questions By Helen-Kay Davy, Principal

and literature even more engaging. And questioning assumptions is critical for exploring and discovering. When students are presented with big questions early on, I believe they can inquire even more skillfully when they reach the Senior School. Just as importantly, they approach their studies and lives with stronger character—as individuals who understand how to look at different perspectives, hear what others have to say and respectfully question ideas and information. Before this school year began, our Grade 12 Prefects met and created a new school cheer, as they do every year. This year’s cheer displayed just how much our Senior School students take ownership over inquiry. They referenced Havergal’s First Principal Ellen Knox, who would ask students and Old Girls: “What are you going to do?” The cheer gave it a twist: “EK asked a question, and now it’s our turn.” In this issue of the Torch , we explore the value of the liberal arts. That value, and the value of all education, becomes richer with the use of thought-provoking questions. When we ask them of our girls early, they learn to take their “turn” later on and use questions as a powerful tool for lifelong learning.

If you visited Havergal’s Senior Kindergarten classroom this fall, you would have seen on display a very interesting project. “Who am I?” featured an inspirational quote and self-portraits drawn by the children, the result of a project that had them discussing identity. A few doors down, students in Grade 6 were debating Marshall McLuhan’s quote “Canada is the only country in the world that knows how to live without identity.” They created diagrams to trace the development of their arguments and ideas around this profound statement. Traditionally, you would present such deep and open-ended questions to students in Grade 12 or university, but our students tackled them with careful thought and creative results at our Junior School. Bringing these kinds of questions to younger students builds skills around inquiry, one of our core values at Havergal. Asking challenging questions helps girls develop a sense of integrity and builds character. No matter how young you are, you can think deeply and query the world around you. This kind of inquiry-based learning makes subjects such as history, math, science, social studies

TABLE OF CONTENTS | FALL 2017 • TORCH 3