And so it begins. It is not going to happen next week, it is happening now! 2024 has started with old and new students and old and new staff on board. But one thing is sure, not all is the same as last year or 2022 etc.

2024 is dressed in its own cloth, coloured differently from before. Aside from anything else, the World is different now than it was at the start of 2023. The Digital Age continues to gather pace and students are even more effected by the World around them, whether it be local, NT, Australian or abroad. News today is almost generated before it is created and humanity is the creator of most of this. It is presented to the world through some personal observation, but most of it is delivered by observers, mainly Journalists and their Editors who are also most often the generators of opinion. The power of the Media continues to grow, colouring the skies of the World in which our students are emerging. All of us, and students no less, are confused over what really is true, what isn’t and what is likely to happen.

These are fraught times!

We are all aware of social media, how powerful it is, how it can be used for good but sadly also for bad with society struggling to know how to manage it, particularly as it can be so devastating to people, including young people with some terrible consequences. This is an added pressure for the young, which didn’t need to be managed not so long ago because it didn’t exist but now it is always changing. Coping with this, trying to maintain safety, requires an ongoing, dynamic understanding. It is almost impossible to insulate youngsters from it because they can use an I-Pad or I-Phone well before they can read.

It is not uncommon for young grandchildren to be saying, regarding this technology, “Hey Grandad, give it to me, I’ll sort it out for you.” The point is that digital knowledge amongst young people in 2024 will be more advanced than 2023 and the digital challenges facing them will have increased.

The world is portrayed vividly on the 24-hour news cycle and no-one, including children, is insulated from the wars, disasters, misery and impending doom that hits the screens continually. So much of the news is negative and that surely has an effect on young people. Obviously, News in 2024 will be different to that in 2023.

The screens our students are exposed to continue to present falling standards of acceptable content and there is a good chance that some of our students will have seen “M” material well before they are at a reasonable age. Of course this will have some effect on them.

Students are likely to see the negative way people treat each other in TV dramas or indeed in hostile, abusive, discussion presented in Parliament and by leaders acting on the World stage. It is easy for students to accept that this is a reasonable way to treat people.

Our schools have such a responsibility to promote reasonable standards of language, respect and good manners. Staff just have to be persistent in this and be aware that what they “let go” will be seen as acceptable. We also must remember that what we as teachers' model will be what students absorb. There is no easy answer, but it is vital to be aware that students are growing up in this changing and uncertain world. Schools must aim to be stable, secure, safe and supportive places which are inviting, non-aggressive, where students feel accepted and are able to grow in confidence. Schools should definitely be positive sanctuaries.

FROM WHERE CAN PRINCIPALS GAIN IDEAS?

Some of the greatest influences on me as an educator have been visiting other schools. It is always fascinating to see how other educators approach education, to think about what was seen, to reflect on why other Principals do it this way, and to decide whether anything witnessed would be worthwhile to adopt. It is a pity if Principals, during their time, are not able to visit any other school. When meeting other Principals and particularly seeing them in their own schools, I found it so useful to see what I may absorb from them myself. A belief that improvement is always possible underpins a dynamic, successful school.

In 1992, on my first visit to Gordonstoun School in Scotland, I met David Byatt who was my host for the day. David had been a student of Kurt Hahn’s at Gordonstoun, had run his own school and was finishing, before retirement, in the role of Warden of Gordonstoun. In this position he had been appointed by the Principal Mark Pyper with the specific responsibility to have oversight over the culture of the school. In this role he was directly responsible to the Principal for the school’s culture. It really impressed me that such a notable school would place such importance on culture and for me it was indeed the most important ingredient of a school.

David edited a book celebrating Hahn not long after he died. The forward was written by Prince Philip and a few days ago I read it again. I have always been interested in talking to people who had been students of Hahn’s, listening to their stories about schooling under him. Here are some of Prince Philip’s reflections.

“History will probably judge him on his ideas, but as a Headmaster I believe it was his absolute certainty about right and wrong, his utter conviction on matters of morality and behaviour which made him such a stabilising influence in a developing community”

“In fact, his heart was even bigger than his brain and a twinkle was never far from his eye. He had a fund of entertaining and illuminating stories with which he larded his speeches, and an impish sense of humour would transform a rather somber countenance into a child-like chuckle and delighted expression.

Eccentric perhaps, innovator certainly, great beyond doubt.”

These reflections had powerful meaning for me and were a source of inspiration over the years.

So what does influence me? Significant is understanding other Principals, how and why they do things, their effectiveness and relevance.

SOME NEW YEAR THOUGHTS FOR 2024.

1. Be a positive Principal and be known for that. Don’t be a whinging Principal for whinging always causes deafness.
2. Have a list of staff. Consult it regularly. Tick if you think a staff member is going ok, don’t if you are worried about them. This helps you not to forget anyone. Remember, the week goes like lightning and is surely blurred.
3. Always look towards the Rising Sun and the positive prospect of a brand new day and promote this concept.

QUOTATIONS

“Sometimes it is better to act instinctively and think little. Sometimes it is better to think and then act. Sometimes it is better to think and not act.” It is important to choose the right one.

- One of mine - Chris Tudor.

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

-Confucius

“You will never plough a field if you only turn it over in your mind.”

 - Irish Proverb

“The first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

- Martin Luther King

“It will never rain roses: when we want to have more roses, we must plant more roses.”

- George Eliot

“Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.”

- Dalai Lama

Chris Tudor

Principal Liaison & AISNT Historian