Our sense of place in the world

Principal

The Interhouse Choir Competition this week was the most musically expert, energetic, and joyful many of us have experienced. It is truly one of the happiest days of the year. Parent Teacher Interviews have provided an opportunity for parents, often accompanied by their daughters, to discover obvious strengths, areas for improvement, and learn through the teachers’ insights what is unique, sometimes even surprising, about their daughters, our hard-working students. Tomorrow, after watching our beginning rowers at that important milestone the Year 8 Row Past, I will travel to Europe to rekindle long-established sister-school relationships and celebrate the connection of our alumnae to our School, and one another, with a wonderfully well-subscribed event in London. There will be much to share when I return.

For of all the COVID restrictions imposed on us, one of the most frustrating was the inability to travel near or far, even to consider the possibility of it—to explore new horizons, visit friends and family, bask in the sense of freedom and independence travel evokes in us all (regardless of whether we have an actual holiday booked). At the end of the pandemic, the popularity of the ‘once in a lifetime’ holiday surged, meticulously planned, imagined, during the years of closed borders. For Australians, the desire to travel runs deep within our psyche—perhaps because of, rather than despite, our geographical separation from much of the world—whether the ‘rite of passage’ overseas trip for young people, the allure of Disneyland for young families, or the ‘empty nester’ voyages to exotic destinations, without the need to consider how to entertain children on a long-haul flight.

We know there is a direct link between adolescent travel and positive educational outcomes—being out of one’s comfort zone requires adaptation, quick decision-making in unfamiliar environments, and develops resilience, self-confidence, positive life values, maturity, and an understanding of our place in the world. And, Girls Grammar students’ interest in upcoming international adventures—Space Camp in the US, experiencing life as French and German students at our sister schools, or visiting tertiary institutions—strongly suggests a deep desire to experience the truly unforgettable moments travel offers us all.

As educators, we too draw on and engage with the research and practice of our global colleagues—gaining new insights from different educational systems, experiences, and research. This engagement allows our School to both learn from, and importantly, contribute to, the global educational sector, and by doing so, to the education of students worldwide. Girls Grammar has a long history of global collaboration, the School itself established in the tradition of English Grammar Schools, and in its early days, was led by British Lady Principals. As such, the concept of global expertise has been embedded, and prioritised, since our beginnings. From staff research and study, and partnering with international experts through to student exchanges, BGGS has valued, always, the unique insights gained from global perspectives—be it here at Spring Hill in Brisbane or through travel overseas.

Has the recent pause in international travel made us question, or emphasise, the value of our interactions with our global colleagues in a post-COVID world? Has it impacted students’ sense of place in the world? And, are there learnings to come out of how schools and universities around the world responded to COVID that will benefit our School community?

I hope to explore these questions in depth as I visit educational institutions across the UK and Europe, and also hear firsthand from BGGS alumnae living in these areas about their contemporary experiences as global citizens. I will travel back to our School’s earliest days at University College London, the first UK university to admit women to the same level as men, and where Sir Charles Lilley studied before moving to Australia and advocating for the establishment of BGGS: was he inspired by UCL’s egalitarian approach to learning? I will also visit one of the world’s foremost social science universities—London School of Economics—a tertiary destination for several Grammar Women and one of our current teachers, and a truly global institution. Among the other schools I will visit, is one situated inside the diverse Barbican Estate, which combines residential and educational complexes (City of London School for Girls) and one of the UK’s top-performing girls’ schools, where BGGS Lady Principal, Mary Mackinlay (1879–1881) taught before moving to Brisbane (Cheltenham Ladies’ College). Throughout the preparations for these visits, the discovery of connections between BGGS and these global institutions continue to remind us anew that while the world is vast, so is the Grammar community.

Integral to this community are relationships—old, new, reinvigorated—which encourage Grammar girls to seek understanding, new perspectives, and set their sights on wide horizons both local and global—for we know, all are connected. As we approach some significant milestones in Brisbane Girls Grammar School’s history with our 150th anniversary in 2025, we are at the precipice of an exciting, if somewhat unknown (for what has COVID taught us if not that certainty does not exist) period in our School’s pioneering history. With the global community now truly reawakened, there is the opportunity to reinforce our position as a global leader in education, a collaborative institution, and one that encourages its students to connect to people and places around the world and inspire a sense of optimism and ‘can do’ that is so essential to the growth of our students into mature and engaged global citizens.