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The Quiet Miracle: For the Love of Learning

21 July 2022

Welcome to Term 3, with a very warm welcome to the new students and their families who join us to complete their high school years at Glenaeon. 

Last weekend, The Sydney Morning Herald ran a story on the appointment of Diana Drummond as our incoming Head of School. The article prompted a very fine response from Stephanie Dowrick, a former parent of Glenaeon and a widely published author and commentator.

STEPHANIE DOWRICK:

I was a "Steiner parent" for ten years. My children are thoughtful, caring, creative and productive adults now and I am immensely grateful for their Steiner education and all that it gave them. It is far closer to the best in Europe with a highly developed awareness of the natural world, the seasons, our innate creative impulses - and thinking capacities way in advance of conventional education where so much rote/prescribed learning produces far less innovation. This is exactly what's needed in 21st-century life. The emphasis on "deep learning" through focused Main Lessons will also be a vital counter to the agitation of rushing from one "instant" screen excitement to another. Or setting children against one another through constant exams, tests and rankings. To learn to LOVE LEARNING is a quiet miracle. It's not for the most conventional of families, and of course as a private school, it is not within reach of all. But Diana Drummond may well have landed one of the most rewarding principal positions in NSW. May it go very well for her and for Glenaeon.

Our education can be difficult to explain to those that have not yet experienced what it means to be a student at a Steiner school, or a “Steiner Parent”. The qualities of our education are intangible, subtle and nuanced.  In terms of community perceptions, we can be seen as “the road less travelled”.

So can I invite you to consider and share your view on what it means to be a Steiner parent? Feel free to drop me an email at headofschool@glenaeon.nsw.edu.au and I will be very interested in hearing your views.

I must agree with Stephanie that being Head of School at Glenaeon is indeed one of the most rewarding school leader positions in the country. It has certainly been the privilege of a lifetime for me personally.

The Term Ahead:

There is much to look forward to this term including the HSC D&T and Visual Arts Showcase tomorrow night, and the Music Showcase four weeks later, the Year 10 Musical: Into The Woods, HSC Trials, exams, excursions, Outdoor Education experiences like kayaking, a snow trip, rich Main Lessons and a Spring Festival with the promise of warmer days ahead.

Have a wonderful term, and may we all continue to love learning even more!

 

Andrew Hill
Head of School