Resisting the System
A reflection written on Friday, March 25, 2022 by Tina Farr, Principal at St Ebbe’s Primary School:
A few weeks ago, I felt the power of the education system we are embroiled in, pulling me away from creativity and wonder and into a place of shame and fear. A local school (and their Headteacher) were 'branded' 'inadequate' from a few shortcomings identified in an inspection, shortcomings that were fixable within a week and that had had no demonstrable negative impact on any children. We were all left reeling, no one more than the Headteacher who has put her heart and soul into her school as we all do.
The check-in space provided by Thompson and Kavita Tanna allowed me to offload and eventually to reconnect to my true nature and to once again embrace leading my school with curiosity and wonder, looking for surprises and finding them coming my way once my eyes were opened. The work we embark upon with the DiG learning framework is far from easy as we encounter bumps in the road such as the one described above but I've emerged stronger and more determined to allow the learning to unfold at our school and to once again embrace being a learner myself.
Clare (Deputy Head) and I always immerse ourselves in planning with our teachers so that we can synergise as well as generate a shared sense of accountability for our projects. This week, an unexpected project emerged from using DiG search tools. Combining a base topic of Ancient Egyptians with different scramblers, quickly led us to a place of wonder about Queen Hatshepsut, the struggle she faced as a female pharaoh and the fact that her successful reign was literally erased from history. The object by which to tell her story was a tooth, representing one discovered in 1989 to be hers, by Egyptologist Donald Ryan. Resonating with our vision and core values, we all knew that the next project was with us and that it was one that would likely fascinate our learners and open them up to further curiosities. As I recounted this story to anyone who would listen over the next few days, I was reminded again of how we come alive as humans when we learn and how learning 'sticks' when a story is told.
I will aim to remain a compassionate presence for my aforementioned colleague as she rides the storm ahead, in the hope that she will eventually feel the freedom of learning and creativity that we are experiencing and remain more determined than ever to continue this journey.