Scotch College

Taking a partnership approach to developing boys

‘Developing a child requires a team effort, involving children, parents and teachers working together. It’s a partnership’ – Guy Mason

The team approach is very much how Guy Mason, Head of the Junior School, sees his role and that of his staff. Guy has been Head of the Junior School since 1998, when he returned to Scotch after a sojourn in Queensland.

In 1994, while Deputy Head of the Scotch Junior School, he was offered and accepted an appointment as Head of the Whitsunday Anglican School in Mackay. Although he enjoyed his time in Mackay, two years in the tropics were enough for Guy, and in 1996 he became Master of the Junior School at Somerset College on the Gold Coast.

But the call of Scotch proved irresistible. In 1998, Scotch invited Guy to become Head of the Junior School, and he eagerly accepted. ‘It is great to be home!’ he said at the time. ‘I look forward with great anticipation to the many challenges that leading the Junior School into the new millennium will bring.’

Almost nine years after his appointment as Head, six years into the new millennium and six years after Scotch celebrated its 150th birthday, Great Scot posed some questions to Guy about the Junior School – its role, direction and evolution. Here are his responses.

How is the Scotch College Junior School different today from when you became Head?

I’m told that the School is a lot more ‘approachable’ than perhaps it was in the past. Much of the past philosophy had it that the School’s role was to educate and prepare boys for their academic future, and that parents often had little input into the day-to-day academic needs of the individual.

Today we are keen to hear parents’ views, and we certainly strongly encourage a continuing dialogue between the School and the home. In doing so, it is our aim that whatever is written in a boy’s School report comes as no surprise. The issues will already have been discussed and, it is to be hoped, acted on.

There is a very well organised Christian education program, incorporating a strong emphasis on pastoral care, including outreach to the boys and their families where this is needed and appropriate. We have also broadened the scope of our special education program, and provided it with more resources, including additional staff and increased technological resources.

Today, we have a specialised computer teacher, so boys receive training from an IT expert. We have three interactive whiteboards, and we recently expanded the number of laptops available in classrooms, especially in Years 4, 5 and 6. The junior primary classes have recently been upgraded with the latest Apple Mac G4 personal computers.

The Languages Other Than English (LOTE) program has also grown exponentially, and it is a delight and inspiration to our boys, as they are given real opportunities to use their new skills through a variety of activities.

In addition, we now have a full-time drama teacher and a formalised drama program. The primary aim of the program isn’t simply to create young actors; instead the aim is to encourage self-expression, public speaking and resiliency skills, and to build the boys’ self-confidence.

Parents definitely have higher expectations of the School now. They seek a return on their considerable investment, and this is understandable, but paying fees and leaving the rest to the School is not the answer. The simple truth is that developing a child towards reaching his full potential requires a team effort, involving the children themselves, their parents and their teachers all working together. It’s a partnership.

Is the Junior School student of today different from the student of former days? If so, in what ways?

Boys are physically bigger now, more independent and assertive. Being assertive doesn’t necessarily mean being arrogant: in appropriate circumstances, assertiveness can be an excellent quality. We encourage the boys to express their points of view, and to be able to debate a point with confidence, knowledge and sensitivity to other people’s opinions.

Boys are also more worldly today. Many more families have the opportunity to travel overseas, and many boys spend more time overseas than they do away from home at activities such as school camps. As they move up the School, they become used to being a little more independent of their parents, although emphasis on family life is still a priority. And of course they have access to that font of information, the worldwide web, which has seen a more global approach to the academic curriculum presented.

Have teaching styles changed over your nine years as Head?

They have changed dramatically. Many years ago there may have been up to 40 students in a single class, with the teacher out in front taking the lesson, teaching what the students needed to know. Now the emphasis is on teaching our boys how to think and how to learn. One of my favourite sayings is that a teacher’s role today is not to be ‘a sage on stage, but to be a guide on the side’.

It’s critically important for the boys’ future that they have the ability to problem-solve and to be independent learners; to be adaptable and to think outside the square. Where in the past a boy might have been fixed on a path towards a ‘set’ career, it is predicted that today’s students will start in one field and then have at least one major career shift and possibly more. For example, a teacher might become an educational lawyer and then later start his or her own business.

Is there now a wider choice of subjects within the curriculum? Is the Junior School producing a more ‘rounded’ student than in the past?

There certainly is a broader curriculum on offer today, which helps the boys develop a wider focus than in the past. Experts in their fields now teach a range of specialised subject areas. At the same time we are not losing sight of doing our best to ensure the basics are fostered, particularly with a strong, continued focus on literacy and numeracy.

How do you ensure that Scotch College Junior School boys, many of whom come from privileged backgrounds, keep their feet on the ground?

There are many ways we try to address this. Our Christian education and social service programs encourage the boys never to lose sight of how fortunate they are, or of their obligations to help others in times of need. Representatives of the Red Cross, the MS Society and Anglicare are regular visitors to the School to talk about their work, with boys often surprised to hear that an organisation such as Anglicare even has clients in Hawthorn.

Regular social service activities are conducted, with a variety of charities being supported through any one school year.

Some of the Senior School boys who visited the Kapumfi Basic School in Zambia last year spoke to the Junior School about their experiences. This provided first-hand experience of how money raised in the school is having a real impact on the lives of so many children in Zambia.

What qualities should a Scotch College boy possess as he graduates from the Junior School to the Senior School?

It’s obviously our mission to make sure boys are as well prepared as possible for the rigours of the Senior School. We want them to acquire the right balance of study (including homework), the creative and performing arts, sport and social activities. We encourage a positive approach to learning; to have a go at new things; to view their teachers as partners in fashioning their futures. And of course we want them to have good manners and to take a personable approach to their peers and to adults. Our focus for each boy is on encouraging him to be his best in everything he undertakes.

We aim to instil the soul of Scotch into each boy – its history, its character, its culture. We teach them things like the School songs, respect for all that their School represents and to foster pride in its achievements and traditions.

How does the Junior School fit into the Scotch College educational offering?

There are stronger curriculum links between the Junior and Senior Schools in subjects such as maths, English and science; there are links between the Junior and Senior Libraries, and there are sport, Christian education and social services links. Year 9 boys have mentored Junior School boys in the past, and the School Captain and the prefects are welcomed visitors. We also have the occasional visit from members of the ‘first’ teams and other sports sides, particularly when they win premierships!

How do you see the Junior School evolving? Are there areas where improvement is needed?

I am excited that there are interesting developments for the Junior School in the College Master plan, currently being developed, and that this includes a potential redevelopment of the Junior School site. Space constraints are an ongoing issue, and even more so when we consider that most of our classrooms date back to when the College moved to Hawthorn between 1916 and 1923.

In regard to evolving academically and socially, we look forward to preparing boys for an uncertain future, but one in which a Scotch boy will be as well prepared as possible to deal with the challenges that he will encounter on his journey through life.