Each day I endeavour to spend some of my time walking the school’s corridors and visiting lessons. This aspect of my job gives me huge amounts of joy, and no matter what has arrived in my email box that morning, seeing our girls enjoying their lessons always reminds me of the importance of what we do each and every day.
The girls aren’t the only ones looking happy to be in school though. Our talented and committed staff get so much fulfilment in working with their pupils, inspiring their bright minds to carve out bright futures, as they deliver what they know and love best – their subject specialism! Everyday I see teachers making positive and life-changing differences to the pupils. They give all that they have to create a safe place filled with kindness and respect. Building positive environments and making good things happen, all to nurture and inspire the girls.
I spoke to the girls this week about how we all have the power to be inspiring teachers. We all have the capacity to teach something to somebody else, and create a ripple effect of empathy and connectedness, to support each other through our journeys in life. We looked at a man called Bill Strickland who grew up in the 1960s, who was more interested in truanting class than being a focused learner. At the age of 16, he was on the brink of being in trouble with the police. One day, as he was wandering aimlessly through the corridors, something caught his eye. The art room door was open and there was a potter’s wheel. Behind it sat a teacher called Mr Frank Ross, the ceramics teacher at Pittsburg High School. This was the moment that changed everything. Bill hovered at the doorway to see what Mr Ross was doing and it was magic – a lump of nothing turned into a bowl. The way Mr Ross transformed clay into something beautiful was a metaphor on life – what life could be – that life could be seen as a set of possibilities rather than a set of limitations. This was the beginning of Bill’s new life chapter. That one moment meant that Bill Strickland saw the world differently.
Bill Strickland had been on a different path. He was an inner-city child, who was already identified as a troublemaker, growing up in the north side of Pittsburg in the middle of the civil rights movement, besieged by racism and amongst the crumbling steel industry. A wave of civil unrest was running through the neighbourhoods and the atmosphere was chaotic, violent and lacking in hope. In the midst of all this, when Bill’s world was literally on fire and his school had written him off as a no-hoper, he found sanctuary in the ceramics room. Mr Ross showed him a different version of himself and helped Bill to find his spark. Bill took ceramics lessons and cultivated a passion for pots that lasted a lifetime. But this time in the studio wasn’t just about learning to make bowls. It was about a spontaneous influence event – these are seemingly minor events that happen to us, but in fact change the trajectory of our lives.
I asked the girls to spend a moment to think about their own school history – could they think about a pep talk or an event that caused a change in their lives? Mr Amponsah shared his journey into teaching and Mr Isted told the school how he had met his wife. The girls also volunteered answers and remembered when they first tried to play a musical instrument, or how inspired they’d been by the 2012 London Olympics.
From our discussion, we could all agree that schools are ultimately human places. They are places of passion and care, where we see all moments of greatness alongside our foibles. What is important is that we experience all of these as a community.
Teaching is so much more than making sure that pupils pass their exams. Schools are important in shaping the people that we become and creating those spontaneous influence events. Many great individuals talk about how teachers have shaped their lives, and Bill Strickland will say that Mr Ross literally saved his life.
Adele talks about her Year 8 English teacher, Miss MacDonald, how she showed her how to love literature, and ultimately set Adele up to start writing her first lyrics – we all know where that has ended. You can internet search to watch Adele’s reaction as they reunite. Then we have Ian Wright, remembering his first football coach. Another very emotional scene to behold.
Bill Strickland’s life literally changed as a result of Mr Ross. After finding his anchor and place of safety through ceramics, he then attended the University of Pittsburgh, where as an undergraduate he founded the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild as an after-school programme to teach children pottery skills in his old neighbourhood. He graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in American History and Foreign Relations and following graduation he continued to build the Manchester Guild into an innovative nonprofit agency that uses the arts to inspire and mentor inner-city teenagers. In 1972 he took over the Bidwell Training Centre that trains displaced adults for jobs. He has served on the boards of the National Endowment for the Arts, Mellon Financial Corporation, and the University of Pittsburgh. For his work, Strickland has won various awards including a MacArthur Fellowship “genius” award in 1996. He has been honoured by the White House, and received the Goi Peace Award in 2011.
How differently things could have ended for Bill Strickland if it hadn’t have been for Mr Ross.
The best teachers make us want to excel and to be the best version of ourselves. They take their lessons way beyond a textbook. They hook their pupils in from the moment they enter the classroom and engage them in their learning. They encourage their pupils to think creatively, by teaching creatively. They encourage hard work and bring subjects to life. They also help us to figure out our ambitions and our own life targets, they can change our personal stories.
Please take some time today, whether you are a parent or a pupil reading this, to note the big and the small things that your teachers here at Bromley High School do for you. How they are helping you to build your own stories and ensure that your daughters become the real heroines of their own journeys.
The transformative influence of a compassionate teacher has a profound effect on shaping lives and instilling confidence in our girls.
Mrs Emily Codling, Headmistress