The Dean’s Blog: ‘Homo Economicus’
It was a joke. Well, they were all laughing. And even Inspector Clouseau could have worked out that they had eaten food and drunk drinks because they had left wrappers, plastic bags, little plastic forks, silver foil, cans, pet bottles, paper towels, leftovers and crumbs all over the table and on the nearby floor. As they do. Some of them. Sometimes. Too often. Ouch - that was my first deanish word of criticism, well two actually. And it was here, in the DSC, that I became deanish with members of a pretty senior grade. I had approached the noisy and good humoured group and reminded them to clear it all away before they left because no one was paid to clear up after them. I could have omitted the mildly provocative subordinate clause starting ‘because’. Maybe I would have if it had not been 3.30 pm after a particularly busy day. I should have, I thought, when they started to play that game of ‘Provoke the Teacher’ by listing, on a scale of wildly increasing irritation-potential, the adults currently employed at ICS who could now match the job description of litter-clearer-upper post that, according to me, needed filling. Hence the laughing. I won - of course - as after the laughter they cleared it up. A little reluctantly. After a seemly, dilatory pause to restore their sense of honour and their dignity. It was, after all, a kind of public climb down before a peer group audience.
Ritual and badinage
Underneath all of this ritual and badinage is, however, a serious thread and it is to do with civic duty. Or a lack of it amongst some of our students. In the past I have been told it is the cleaners’ job, or the janitors’ or the teachers’ who are on duty, in similar situations; and on the occasion when this is meant sincerely then I am shocked. It is this sense of entitlement, misguided because it is not remotely earned at such a young age, that I have in mind when I refer to civic duty or civic responsibility. It is imagined that a position is currently occupied that exempts the young holder from needing a wider view of transactions and their implications for all the personnel involved. It is another example of homo economicus (‘I have more important things to do than you do.’)
Harmony and happiness.
In a recent blog I wrote in a pastiche about the sad, frustrating situation of a child being rejected by its peers at lunchtime, another instance of a lack of civic responsibility. And one of you kindly wrote to me expressing interest and support, modestly, somewhat hesitantly suggesting a scheme designed to obviate such behaviours by involving everyone in a system to eliminate it. It was a good idea that I shared with relevant colleagues. I want to go further now with a scheme next year to help develop this sense of civic responsibility. It will involve, initially, the senior grade in the Main Building at lunchtime. After some training and some modelling they will help patrol and will intervene in unsatisfactory situations within their capability, supported by the teachers on duty, in order to bring increased student harmony and happiness.
‘Wzzup, dude?’
It’s not world peace but it will be a measure to increase empathy, a step that will enable our kids actively to improve the atmosphere for all its inhabitants.
‘Wzzup, dude? Want to talk?’
‘Yeah, you can sit down here.’
‘Let the grade 6 kids have the goal now – it’s their turn!’
‘We’ll find a teacher.’
‘Let’s go see if you left it in a classroom you were in.’
‘Don’t chase about in the library, you’re disturbing other people here.’
And so on. It is not a system of monitors as the whole grade will get involved. It’s not a system of peer counselling. It won’t be done because it gets Community Service credits or count towards Graduation. It’ll get done because it will be blindingly obvious it’s the right thing to do. And I know our/your kids will rise to the challenge magnificently, once again. And it will start with the courage, backed by adults’ support, to say, ‘Please don’t leave your lunch mess here as other IB students will want to study at this table.’ The explanation softens the ‘command’ register to one of ‘reasonable request’ to which no one who is a member of our unique ICS society can fail to respond positively.
Thursday, 10 June 2010
'Higgs Particles'
The Dean’s Blog – ‘Higgs Particles’
There are days when nothing happens. Well, things do of course happen but they don’t bear relating. Not in a Deanish sense. Nor to a large readership. They’re not funny or serious or new, or proof that history repeats itself or that the universe is somehow curved or that Higgs particles do actually exist or that those the gods wish to destroy they first drive mad or have them decide to train as teachers. Just a small, apparently random selection of not severely poor but not optimal decision making continues about the timing of arriving to school or about paying attention in class or ‘borrowing’ another’s property or about milk or computer games or using the lift or personal entertainment centres or shorts that are a little too – that sort of a thing. Quotidian.
The Dean’s best customers
It cannot be because the G12 students have gone because they are never the Dean’s best customers. Nor because G10 have gone on their PDM - well, actually, maybe a little bit as they have been known to cross my threshold occasionally. But generally there is a spirit of cooperation as students get on with their studies inside in class or with their friends outside in free time. Wait. Outside! There! That’s it! It is not cold. There is no howling wind with ‘Sturmboen’ gusting at 115kph. It is not actually snowing here at 700 metres in early June and nor is there hail. The rain and sleet and Scotch mist (so called because after an extended period that is the only possible remedy) have moved east. And so, in the absence of meteorological obstruction, the SUN IS OUT and it is warm and the kids can play outside, at lunchtime. These things so rarely coincide. It is a treat to be celebrated. So, obviously, the whole idea of a mass inter-grade water fight becomes the thing to decide to do.
300 screaming with fun teenagers drenched to the skin
So why, you might ask if you haven’t moved on to read about the new updates to the terminology of MYP assessment procedures as a more lively option, did I not write about that? Because, you see, the kids are canny and they took my advice and, so, took the trouble before they started to check with me if it was ok to do this. I wish they hadn’t. ‘No’ is so grumpy-old-man, spoiling as it does in one’s apparent out-of-touch and even out-to-lunch way the innocent play of many, many children with the natural green elements in a safe environment. ‘Yes’, on the other hand conjures up the image of three hundred screaming with fun teenagers drenched to the skin, deliriously happy wasting said precious green element and arriving to period 6 unfit to be taught or to learn from every conceivable point of view saying triumphantly in the face of a couple of dozen disbelieving and disapproving teachers, ‘Mr. D said we could!’
The best Hollywood Federal interrogators
Boy, did I choose my words carefully…and slowly. The three boys scrutinised me from my door way like the best Hollywood Federal interrogators, hanging onto my every word. The International Diplomatic Corps could have learned a thing or two from me, though. No room for double-entendres or sub text here. No space for misinterpretation or implication. Nuance was banished and so were connotation, puns, asides and irony. Body language and facial expression needed to be locked down as even the raising of a single eyebrow could be interpreted as hinting at a wry affirmation. And so, finally, at last, by my desk clock there were only four minutes to go to the end-of-lunch-time bell and the situation had solved itself. This time.
I hope it rains tomorrow.
nickydarlington.blogspot.com
There are days when nothing happens. Well, things do of course happen but they don’t bear relating. Not in a Deanish sense. Nor to a large readership. They’re not funny or serious or new, or proof that history repeats itself or that the universe is somehow curved or that Higgs particles do actually exist or that those the gods wish to destroy they first drive mad or have them decide to train as teachers. Just a small, apparently random selection of not severely poor but not optimal decision making continues about the timing of arriving to school or about paying attention in class or ‘borrowing’ another’s property or about milk or computer games or using the lift or personal entertainment centres or shorts that are a little too – that sort of a thing. Quotidian.
The Dean’s best customers
It cannot be because the G12 students have gone because they are never the Dean’s best customers. Nor because G10 have gone on their PDM - well, actually, maybe a little bit as they have been known to cross my threshold occasionally. But generally there is a spirit of cooperation as students get on with their studies inside in class or with their friends outside in free time. Wait. Outside! There! That’s it! It is not cold. There is no howling wind with ‘Sturmboen’ gusting at 115kph. It is not actually snowing here at 700 metres in early June and nor is there hail. The rain and sleet and Scotch mist (so called because after an extended period that is the only possible remedy) have moved east. And so, in the absence of meteorological obstruction, the SUN IS OUT and it is warm and the kids can play outside, at lunchtime. These things so rarely coincide. It is a treat to be celebrated. So, obviously, the whole idea of a mass inter-grade water fight becomes the thing to decide to do.
300 screaming with fun teenagers drenched to the skin
So why, you might ask if you haven’t moved on to read about the new updates to the terminology of MYP assessment procedures as a more lively option, did I not write about that? Because, you see, the kids are canny and they took my advice and, so, took the trouble before they started to check with me if it was ok to do this. I wish they hadn’t. ‘No’ is so grumpy-old-man, spoiling as it does in one’s apparent out-of-touch and even out-to-lunch way the innocent play of many, many children with the natural green elements in a safe environment. ‘Yes’, on the other hand conjures up the image of three hundred screaming with fun teenagers drenched to the skin, deliriously happy wasting said precious green element and arriving to period 6 unfit to be taught or to learn from every conceivable point of view saying triumphantly in the face of a couple of dozen disbelieving and disapproving teachers, ‘Mr. D said we could!’
The best Hollywood Federal interrogators
Boy, did I choose my words carefully…and slowly. The three boys scrutinised me from my door way like the best Hollywood Federal interrogators, hanging onto my every word. The International Diplomatic Corps could have learned a thing or two from me, though. No room for double-entendres or sub text here. No space for misinterpretation or implication. Nuance was banished and so were connotation, puns, asides and irony. Body language and facial expression needed to be locked down as even the raising of a single eyebrow could be interpreted as hinting at a wry affirmation. And so, finally, at last, by my desk clock there were only four minutes to go to the end-of-lunch-time bell and the situation had solved itself. This time.
I hope it rains tomorrow.
nickydarlington.blogspot.com
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