From the School Council - Developing the 'whole person'

Education is a lifelong process. From the day a child is born, he or she is a sponge for knowledge and experience. Education can be acquired through the formal processes of primary and secondary schooling, as well as at the tertiary level for those who choose to pursue it. Then, of course, there is the education that you receive from life, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. You can’t help but learn from your work environment and colleagues, from your relationships and from the challenges presented in the daily course of events.

In addition to the gifted teachers and mentors that you might be fortunate enough to experience along the way, life is without doubt a very effective educator. There is one school of thought that an individual will receive from life, the lessons that he or she needs to learn. The pursuit of knowledge then, and the transference of that knowledge, is an essential and exciting part of our humanity. What a pity we expend so much energy, resources, money and human life on fighting wars! Ours would be quite a different world if all that effort were directed into further pushing back the frontiers of knowledge and improving the global human condition.

The word ‘school’ is derived from the Greek word, σχολή, and the Latin word schola, meaning leisure, and specifically the employment of leisure in discussion or debate. These words can also mean a place for learned conversation or instruction. The Academy of Plato and the subsequent Lyceum of Aristotle were certainly places for learned conversation and debate. Culturally, the ancient Greeks were great questioners. To Socrates, ‘the unexamined life was not worth living’. And, the Latin verb educare means to bring up a child, and is related to another Latin verb educere which means to lead forward or draw out.

Like every aspect of humanity, education has certainly evolved over time. In medieval universities, the core curriculum consisted of the seven liberal arts and sciences: grammar, rhetoric, logic, mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy. On a parodying note, the appropriately named Mr Gradgrind, in Charles Dickens’ Bleak House was a caricature of a utilitarian-only model of education: “NOW, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them … Stick to Facts, sir!”

Fortunately, the production of mindless automatons is not a feature of modern education. Melbourne Grammar School continues to focus on the pursuit of excellence in all its educational activities. This particular goal has not changed since my experience of Grimwade House and the Senior School from 1966 to 1973. What has changed though, and I see this regularly through my current experience on the School Council, is the much greater emphasis upon social awareness and responsibility, and giving back to the community. The developing of public speaking skills also appears to be a more regular feature of School life. At the recent Deakin House Chapel Service, for example, three Year 12 students spoke personally, thoughtfully and powerfully on the evening’s theme of ‘Discovery’. There is no doubt in my mind that the MGS educational offering is enhanced by these two very important ingredients. Of course, the facilitating effect of technology is far more widespread now, in education and general communication.

There is also no doubt that the most important ingredient in any great education is the quality of the teacher. At the recent Melbourne Grammar School Foundation Annual General Meeting, Dr Alan Finkel AO, Australia’s Chief Scientist, stated: “Great teachers teach complex concepts in compelling ways”. Melbourne Grammar has a long and proud tradition of employing great teachers and today, more than ever before, they are empowered to develop ‘the whole person’. Our aspiration as a school is that each and every one of our students, on leaving our care, has the awareness, skills and experience to become a truly valuable member of society and contribute to a better world.

Michael Bartlett Chairman of Council