Year 12

The Germans have an interesting language, especially when we consider that culture informs language as well as the other way around. The word that springs to mind when considering the topic of this week’s article is ‘Zeitgeist’, meaning the ‘spirit of the time’.

This week Ms Tynan spoke to the Year 12 girls about consent.

It is interesting to note that the girls have had this discussion or been taught about this concept for many years throughout their schooling. We talk about these issues both in the Wellbeing Program and also in the PDHPE program. However, sometimes the girls seems to find it hard to remember when they have explicitly been taught about topics such as consent.

Gert Biesta, an educational philosopher, states in an article called Philosophy of Education for the Public Good, that a central ‘weakness’ of education is that it is ‘relational’.

Of course, this is also it’s greatest strength!

But what he means is that we are a group of older humans speaking to and educating a group of younger humans, all of whom are individuals and all of whom are at different stages on life’s way. And therein lies the challenge. The students will relate to topics in different ways at different times because they are unique people.

We have been consistently teaching our girls about respect and autonomy throughout their educational journey but many of them have no frame of reference for these discussions as yet and we are educating them about issues that they, thankfully, have not had to grapple with. But if the stories in the media and the prevailing zeitgeist are any indication, then the girls will need to be prepared to make informed, safe, sensible decisions as they progress through Year 12 and into the wider community. We will continue to discuss these issues with your daughters in an adult, respectful and age-appropriate way for the remainder of their time here at MLC School.

In Academic Care this week, Chris Barnes came and spoke to the girls about ‘evaluating their evaluations’ from the recent assessment block. In another entertaining and thought-provoking presentation, he set out a plan for the girls over the last few weeks of term. He has encouraged them to use next week to ‘collect strategies’ from their teachers as to how to improve. The following week, he wants them to enact one of those strategies and in the last week of term they are encouraged to reflect upon how this approach has worked.

We know that Year 12 is a marathon. We say it so much that it has become a cliché, but clichés are clichés because they contain an essential grain of truth. The girls must always strive to use the data that they receive along the way to help them to incrementally improve over time. To echo Mr Barnes and a certain looming building in Ashfield ‘It’s never too late…’ to improve.

As always, we encourage parents to discuss the weekly topics and activities with your daughters and never to hesitate in getting in contact with us if you have any queries or concerns.

– Sarah Tynan, Assistant Head of Senior School – Pastoral Care and Wellbeing, Head of Year 12
– David O’Donohue, Assistant Head of Year 12