Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2007

FROM THE PR INC I PAL Effective Education

Excellent teachers are crucial to the success of any educational institution which seeks to facilitate enthusiastic and effective learning for its students. When appointing academic staff at Brisbane Girls Grammar School we look for proof of intellectual rigour through superior academic qualifications and professional associations, and confirmation of an ability to actually teach effectively, evidenced through excellent teacher training reports and references — but it is also the answer to one very important question during the interview that makes all the difference: “Why do you enjoy teaching teenaged girls?” The student care programme at Girls Grammar is central to approaching the holistic education of our girls. We believe that if our girls feel they belong, feel ‘looked after’ and know we respect their development as young women, then they will be motivated to enjoy learning, achieve the best outcomes academically and be positively involved in the wider co-curricular life of the School. In other words, they will like to come to school and be optimistic about their own holistic education and learning development. To achieve a consistent approach to student care amongst our staff, we teachers themselves should be the product of a first rate teacher education experience. 1 Schools are increasingly complex institutions expected to meet multiple goals and to respond to shifting social and political agendas. To make schools effective, to create the kind of enabling and flexible environments in which students can flourish,

12 mentors, engage in numerous House events and find out about all the wonderful co-curricular activities they may wish to experience. Parents enjoy a welcome cocktail party and are encouraged to meet staff early on to monitor the progress of their daughters over the first few weeks. In other words, the School understands how important it is for our new families to feel welcome, settled and part of the Girls Grammar community. In this way, the students have the enthusiasm and excitement to work hard in the classroom, make new friends, try new activities and form an attachment to their School. They feel cared for, supported and happy. Brisbane Girls Grammar has one of the best staffs I have encountered in any school; they are dedicated to the profession of teaching, conscientious in their work ethic, leaders in their field and, most importantly, deeply committed to educating — in every sense of the word — the young women in their care. Ms Amanda Bell

employ a number of strategies. For new staff there is a comprehensive induction and mentoring programme to introduce them to the School’s culture, programmes and policies; for existing staff there is an on-going professional development regime tailored to each teacher’s specific roles and responsibilities in the School. Girls Grammar and the senior management team invest a significant amount of time and resources into these strategies to ensure our teachers are well positioned to care for our students, in the same way we ensure they have the necessary formal qualifications, skills and on-going professional development to teach their subject area in the classroom. Our new Year 8 girls are similarly inducted and mentored when they first experience Girls Grammar. Starting at a new school and commencing secondary school can cause some apprehension, so we are careful to ensure the girls feel welcome and part of the whole School. The House afternoon teas in the year prior to commencement are the ideal ‘ice-breakers’ for the girls, where they meet their prospective classmates and their parents can begin to make those all important community connections. Once here, the Year 8 students meet their Year

1 Top of the Class , Report on the inquiry into teacher education, House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Vocational Training, The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, February 2007

grammar gazette autumn 2007