In 2018, All Saints’ College (ASC), launched a new aspect to the College called Djoowak: the Beyond Boundaries Institute (BBI). (Djoowak is a Noongar word meaning “proceeding, following generation”.) The BBI was made to assist ASC in many ways, such as encouraging learning outside of silos or isolated departments, providing “personalized” education, acknowledging that a lot of learning takes place outside of school, recognizing that much learning also occurs informally, identifying the differences between online and offline education, preparing students for life and more.
Last year, I received an email from Ms Esther Hill (Director of Djoowak: the Beyond Boundaries Institute) saying my teachers identified me as a student that would add value to the Beyond Boundaries Institute meetings and present student perspectives to the group. There I spoke with BBI advisory group members, Dr Jan Owen AM (CEO of The Foundation for Young Australians), and Mr Peter Hutton (Director of the Future Schools Alliance) who presented ideas on “Creating an Education Ecosystem: Beyond Siloes and Boundaries To generate key ideas and questions to guide our work as a community in moving beyond siloes and boundaries toward an education ecosystem for the future.”
When attending, I was able to volunteer ideas and talk to influential people about how they could improve learning at all schools, including my school, All Saint’s College. I believe I represented the College well conducting myself with respect, integrity, and courage.
I was able to contribute my thoughts and ideas in a positive, open, and encouraging manner. I was also able to interact with people from outside of All Saints’, listen to their thoughts on education and give mine. However, this was not easy. I sat at a table for the majority of the meeting with Dr Jan Owen, Mr Timothy Russell (ASC Dean of Wellbeing). I spoke with teachers and qualified people I had never met before about how I believed my school could improve its “ecosystems”. I had to make sure I articulated myself well. Before the meeting, I had to take the initiative to prepare some points to discuss. However, most importantly, I needed to work together with the other teachers to discuss issues and in doing so, lead in the conversation. I showed how I was able to answer mature questions appropriately. I was also able to direct a discussion by presenting topics and ideas to a group and discussing them. I was able to accept feedback and contribute to discussions and ideas on how to improve education in schools. This is just one example of an activity that displays my leadership and teamwork skills, even when in a foreign environment.
By Emily Geha