I have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the Cohort 21 experience. The ‘big idea’ thinking and the inclusivity has been essential for me as I continue to push the library forward. It’s a big scary world out there and it doesn’t seem quite so bad when we approach it together. But, through all this, I’m still left wondering, what’s wrong with old school? My How Might We statement is HMW create a culture around the library that promotes innovation, collaboration and scholarship? I have to admit, I’m pretty comfortable with the second two of these, but the first has always been a tricky one for me. Innovation – it feels like guessing the future. Not necessarily a bad thing but the historian in me has always looked to the past for inspiration.

This past weekend I attended the memorial service of the former school chaplain at Ridley. Rev. Shantz (or as he was known to us students, The Rev) was so influential in my education and he wasn’t even my teacher (or a trained one at that). There was nothing new or innovative about what he did, even back in the 90s. His sermons were delivered three times a week from the front of the chapel as we all sat in rows and listened. No interaction. No gimmicks to promote engagement. No technology. Just him. His wisdom. His stories.

There’s one in particular that will never leave me. It is the story of the word sincere which comes from Latin sine cera and what it means when we write the words, ‘sincerely yours’. It goes something like this…

In ancient Rome, there were sculptors who would carve beautiful masterpieces out of large slabs of Italian marble. Every so often in the process of creation, there would be a slip or a chip and the intended work would be essentially ruined. Any artist today might call this a happy accident, but there was no room for error in Roman civilization and so the piece would have to be discarded. A true artisan would do so and start anew; however, there were some who would take marble-coloured wax and patch the piece to avoid having to start over. This practice became so wide spread that those wishing to convey to their consumer the authenticity of their piece began to carve sine cera (without wax) into the bottom of their work. Thus, our word sincere was born. The Rev would then speak to us of the importance of living our lives authentically and truly living ‘without wax’.

I was fortunate enough to hear this story twice in my time at school. This was rare because he never really repeated himself, but I guess if you hang around a place long enough, it’s bound to happen. I still remember both times. Where I was sitting. The smell of the radiators as they warmed the chapel occupants from the cold, grey, midwinter day. I remember when he told it the second time how excited I was to hear it again; nudging my friend in the arm to make her aware of the weight of this moment. I could actually feel the synapses in my brain firing as they made connections and were set on fire with knowledge and understanding. I remember the quiet smile that came across my face turning again to my friend to whisper excitedly, “this is my favourite story!”

So now, I wonder, are we creating these moments for our students. Can smart boards and iPads really replace the power of a good story in teaching and inspiring our students? Do they really need to come to the library to gain access to technology? Or is there a much more authentic experience that I can provide? We can be so caught up in improving our practice and being a better teacher for our students, I think sometimes we may miss the mark. Not always, but sometimes.

As I sat in the chapel last Sunday and said my final good-bye to The Rev, I expressed my eternal gratitude to him. Everyone else had left so I told the thick stone walls of my silent promise to always act with sincerity towards my students and thereby bringing that authentic experience. Be present. Be me. Be sincere.

 

6 thoughts on “Sincerely Yours, Mrs. Darby

  1. @wdarby – what a beautiful story. I was getting chills while reading it and starting to feel like I was listening to “The Rev” tell the story himself. And it leads you to such powerful questions about pedagogy and learning! I think you hit the nail right on the head with your concluding paragraph – that by being yourself, being sincere, and teaching with “no wax” you will in fact bring that authentic experience to your students. Beautiful!

  2. An important question wrapped in a story well told. Thank you for bringing this story to our community Wendy – The Rev’ sounds like a great educator indeed.

    Your question about “what is wrong with old school?” is one that I ask all the time. What is worth continuing, what is worth holding on to in the work of this profession that we have entered? I know that iPads and computers can add much to learning – so long as they are used in the service of learning. However, (in my opinion) to your point about the Rev and his narrative, education is always about relationships, it’s about sharing and social construction of knowledge. We build relationships through shared experiences, through conversations where we share bits of ourselves, through trust building.

    I think that scholarship is about pursuing one’s curiosity. But where does that curiosity come from? I believe that it comes from educators opening up great big questions, passed down to them from previous educators, etc… Sometimes, these big questions will hit their mark, and sometimes they won’t. But it is in the striving that old school mindsets are still very relevant to today’s practice.

    Thanks for this great sharing of your own experiences Wendy,
    Garth.

    1. Thank you for your feedback. Yes, it is about relationships and trust and nothing can replace it. I really appreciate your thoughts on scholarship as well. Asking those big questions is far more important than answering them.

      Thank you for your thoughts!

      w

  3. Wendy,
    Thank you for sharing your thoughts and provocative questions through the telling of this story. I love a good story, a good metaphor and I believe our students do too. I am similarly wrestling with the question of what does it mean to innovate? What I really appreciate about what you have presented here is the idea that we may not need to employ flashy / techy applications to our teaching … we might infact be innovative just by being sincere about what we are good at and bringing that to our students. When we are sincere, perhaps we are innovative? Particularly if we look for new and interesting ways to connect with our students through enhancing those aspects of our practice that we are good at, that we love and are passionate about.
    Thank you for this post – there’s more I’d like to talk to you about from this angle … for now a couple of things that came to mind – have you read George Couros ‘The Innovators Mindset’ ? He presents some great ways to think about innovation.
    I also love the medium of storytelling, and have been thinking about incorporating it more into my teaching; pondering this online course through IDEO : https://www.ideou.com/products/storytelling-for-influence?gclid=Cj0KCQiAjszhBRDgARIsAH8Kgvcs_tv8lPjiptzJf4TeCKCNV6CFjOgOukiRH-tZSVJBPYsiVRNbnKYaAqejEALw_wcB

    Thanks for the inspiration Wendy!
    Allison

    1. Hi Allison,

      Thank you so much for your thoughts and feedback. I agree stories can be a great way to bring students in and capture their imaginations. It really is fascinating to hear peoples’ reactions to our postings and what thoughts and ideas it sparks in others. I will definitely take a look at George Couros! Thank you for the recommendation!

      See you soon!

      w

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