One of the pillars of a Queenwood education is independence. We want to encourage our girls to be independent in mind and spirit, to develop into women prepared to chart their own course, seek truth and live courageously.
A proper sense of independence includes two complementary elements: agency and responsibility.
‘Agency’ stems from the Latin agere – to do, to act, to manage. Girls who develop this capability understand that they are able to take control of their own lives and, from there, be a driver of change in the world. They are not passive or helpless. They do not wait for problems to be solved by others. They rise to a challenge, despite the uncertainty of success. ‘Responsibility’ stems from the Latin re (back/again) + spondere (to promise or pledge). Those who accept responsibility are pledging to give something back – and that’s something that our students should certainly be doing.
It is easy to get frustrated with teenagers. The way they can’t put the dishes into the dishwasher or the laundry into the laundry basket. The way they insist that you don’t understand anything. The way they switch instantaneously from the behaviour of a toddler to demanding the freedoms of an adult. The long showers. The phones...
Yet they are also capable of great things. Let me share three examples from the last week:
On Wednesday last week, the prefects began their initiative for Term 2 – described a few newsletters ago – of engaging with their peers on world affairs. It began with a talk by Maddie (Year 12) on the conflict in Yemen. I would have struggled with the complexity – the geopolitics, the proxy war, the players (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Houthis), the sanctions – but Maddie gave a short, lucid presentation setting it out and explaining the impact on the Yemeni population. This excellent beginning is being supported by a program of brief presentations in each tutor group over the coming term where girls of all ages are invited to present to their peers on a current issue. Year 12 students then tackled the issue of conspiracy theories and fake news in Assembly this week – presenting the issues and the contributing factors (eg confirmation bias) in an intelligent and entertaining way. These senior students recognise the importance of engaging with the world and are showing real leadership as they share this passion with the younger students.
This week also saw the conclusion of the Listening Sessions I held with the girls on sexual assault and harassment. The discussions have been lively, thoughtful, balanced and remarkably open. It’s not the easiest topic in the world to discuss with your teachers, and especially your Principal, but it has been so worthwhile. As I told the parents who attended our Listening Session on Monday night, the input from across our community has been invaluable and we are coming away from it with a good sense of our future direction on this – more on that later.
Finally, the next School Strike for Climate is being held next week. Protest and campaigning are important elements of a healthy democracy and I am grateful to live in a country that gives its citizens such freedoms. Protesters, however, should not just speak loudly, they should also have something worth saying. Here are a few examples of the messages I have received from students:
“The time to act on climate change is now, and I feel it to be my responsibility to do all I can. I have researched climate change quite a bit, both in my studies of IB Geography, and out of interest, and while I continue to find multiple things that I can change in my daily life to mitigate the effects of climate change, I know that to really make an impact, we must demand change from the people in power.
Whilst I have changed my own behaviour, and impacted my friends and family’s behaviour, this is smaller scale than the change needed. The change needed is a change in the government’s decisions. For someone of my age and resources, protests and strikes like the SS4C is one way that is available to me to make an impact where it counts. The School Strike for Climate demands three things; no new coal, oil and gas projects, including the Adani mine, 100% renewable energy generation and exports by 2030, and the funding of a just transition and job creation for all fossil-fuel workers and communities. All of which, I stand by securely.”
“Even though we are in the midst of a pandemic, I believe that the larger, looming, and more long-term issue is ultimately climate change and once the pandemic is over, I know carbon emissions will rise exponentially. Also, following the federal budget announced yesterday, I think that it's crucial for the government to start investing in renewables rather than that $60 million they put towards a gas project, and of course, for us as individuals to aim to be as sustainable as possible.”
Inevitably, views will differ on all these issues – from the causes of sexual assault to the challenge of climate change. We don’t expect our girls to agree with each other or with us.
What we do expect is that they should make the effort to be informed, that they should recognise their own agency and that they should take responsibility. It is safe to say that they are rising to this challenge.
Finally, on the topic of big ideas, please take note of the Balmoral Lectures (below) which begin in a few weeks. Just a quick reminder that all girls in Years 8-11 must attend at least one lecture this year. The first is on 7 June, with Dr Michael Fullilove (Executive Director of the Lowy Institute) speaking on China and the West in the Era of COVID-19.