What drives you?

I can't believe it's been a whole term since I've added to my blog, but what an exciting and busy term it was. Working across three major projects: the move across to BYOD for Yr 7,11 & 12, the launch of GAFE (Google Apps for Education) for Yrs 7-8 and the exciting work across fundraising for the Artemis Project, an innovative project that is driven by Melbourne Girls Grammar's unique understanding of the delivery of exceptional education for our girls.

I have been asked what drives my passion around this project and I am passionate about it for many reasons and the main two, are of course, my own experiences.

I hated school, I truly hated school........when I went that is! I was a 'wagger' and enjoyed many school days at the back of a little Greek cafe on Swanston Street and by about Year 10 McDonalds opened so we moved there. When my girls started primary shchool I have run into other parents who I knew from that time, who I initially met in these cafes when we were all meant to be at our various schools across Melbourne. I did move schools for Year 12 and I had a wonderful year at a much smaller school where I felt I had strong relationships with my teachers and was well supported. Due to my poor experience and lack of engagement I know now as an adult, and in retrospect, what might have engaged me, I understand now that I am a visual learner, I know the subjects I would have loved (Digital Media and Design for one!) and may have even excelled at, if only....... 

Secondly I am the parent of two girls and this was Miss 16's "Insta" post last night as she contemplated returning to school today after a two week break. She'd found this photo of herself as a toddler and to her is felt like a true representation of how she was feeling. 

NOT HAPPY! She got 98 "Likes" in a matter of minutes so I'm guessing a lot of her friends were feeling the same.

I can absolutely relate to this, how many of your students would have felt the same last night? Since working for the first time in a school over the past 4.5 years, I make comparisons all the time between the school I work at and the one my daughter attends. I know to do so is unfair, as her school doesn't have the facilities, they can't afford the technology (nor do they place an emphasis on it), they don't attract the calibre of staff and most of all I don't believe they provide a strong school spirit, or sense of community. This is something I now also see through the eyes of a fundraiser and my school works hard at maintaining relationships with all of our community: Old Grammarian's, Past Parents, Current Parents, and more recently the Young Old Grammarian network. Whilst in Australia we all need to work on building a Philanthropic culture I'm confident the investment we make today in our Community will ensure our school still exists in another 120 years (in a very different form I'd expect).

I often wonder how things would be different if Miss 16 had the opportunity to attend a school like mine, where she would have a Personal Dimensions Mentor that knew her background, her family history, someone that focussed on her being at the 99th percentile for language rather than her daily struggle with Maths, someone that knew that she is in fact not shy at all, but has the most wicked sense of fun and humour, once she trusts you. A school that was able to track her physical and mental wellbeing, alongside her academic record, from the moment she was interviewed, until the day she left. A smaller school that provided a much broader range of subjects and authentic learning experiences, a school that was willing to let her control her own education choices, allowing her to choose and challenge herself. A school that was preparing her for a bright future by providing the foundations to give her the confidence to believe this.

This is what drives me. It's why I see need for drastic change in our classrooms. It seems to me that we've already lost another generation to the old "Chalk and Talk" style of teaching and they are disengaged, just like I was and like my daughter IS. This is why I can confidently talk about the Artemis Project and the $10 million we are trying to raise to build a Physical Performance and Health Centre like no other, one specifically that is designed by women for women that will inspire, engage and provide our girls with the opportunities that far too many are still missing out on.

Read more about the Artemis Project here: http://www.mggs.vic.edu.au/14-home-featured/5-2014-pphc