As a school principal I recall the little ones first days at school when there was a fair bit of crying and wanting to go home with mum and/or dad. Great teachers eased them through this and they set off on their school journey with confidence because they were immediately nurtured by the teachers and felt safe and cared for. Today I took my young granddaughter to pre-school which she loves. We played with some small plastic toy creatures before it was time for me and the other parents to leave. One little girl was sobbing on her mother's shoulder and the mum brought her to the mat where I was interacting with my little one. The crying stopped as the interest in the toys took over and the mum gave me a nod of gratitude. This is what reminded me of the first day at school blues.
Just the other day I was also reminded of the exuberance of youngsters when they find something that ignites their curiosity. I spent the day with my granddaughter who is 4 and one half years old. She wanted to search for insects and observe what they do. Off we went and captured all sorts of creatures in our observation jar. We looked at and discussed them. I am gradually teaching my granddaughter what characterises an insect but didn't raise this when the majority of creatures captured were snails. We let the snails loose and watched through a large magnifying glass talking about what they looked like and how they moved. Of course we freed our subjects at the conclusion of this interactive time. It was golden time.
Learning is a brilliant thing and the best teachers are constantly attuned to the wonder of it. This wonder is not only to be had with live subjects like insects but I experience it all the time with mathematics from the youngest students to the halls of university lectures in statistics. I recall a wonderful stats lecturer who spoke with excitement about the parsimony of certain statistical formulae that had their roots in calculus. It was for me the switching on of a light. I could do calculus problems as a final year secondary student but never experienced the wonder of what they were really all about. It took a great teacher to open this door.
I am privileged to experience the wonder of the research outcomes of our scientists. It never ceases to thrill me when I come across another wonderful discovery. These are Crick and Watson moments. I know that great science teachers immerse their students in such wonder. I am weird but as a student organic chemistry was a big new world to me and my interest has never dimmed.
I am privileged to experience the richness of words that the best wordsmiths put together in literature and in the great orations. The hair stands up on the back of my neck when I am reading a book and come across another pearl of sentence and paragraph construction. Recently I sent to my journalist son a line from a book on the Middle East set around 1917 and the struggles of the various powers and nationalities for control at that time : the author wrote: "Those acorns of misunderstanding which become the great oaks of prejudice." My son's response was that he wished he'd written that. Great teachers will create for their students this wonder in the words and I was lucky enough to have two of the best literature teachers that ever trod the classroom. I was even luckier when as a teacher I worked with them as colleagues.
I was and am no giant brain so full credit to the great teachers who broke through for me and gave me moments of unforgettable wonder.
As school principals it is worthwhile working hard to be leaders who inspire our teachers about this wonder in learning. It is an exercise of reinvigorating the teachers, assisting them to marvel at the richness that is their profession and feel good about the skills that they daily demonstrate and the positive influences that they have.
GD
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