Monthly Archives: May 2015

‘… the historian’s picture of the past is … in every detail an imaginary picture …’ As a teacher of history, I sometimes wonder about the mysterious space that exists between my understanding and that of my students’. It is not just a matter of my knowing more than they do but rather, how the image that I try to create might be received by them; whether I can make them see what I see. Of course the process of learning is far more complex than the transferral of knowledge directly from teacher to student (it’s not, after all, about reading the teacher’s mind). Nevertheless the question of how we ‘see’ history is an interesting one.

The double intake of Year 7 and 8s this year has had an extremely positive impact on the School community; the Year 12 Prefects and Buddies have made particular comment on the younger girls’ levels of exuberance and often playful approach to school-life, and have actually questioned ‘where does it come from and why aren't we like that?’ This concept of ‘play’ should be pondered upon: what would our Year 7 and 8 girls miss out on if free play became a thing of the past, best enjoyed at primary school?

Finding one’s way (building a career) can be loosely described as an exercise in stringing together seemingly random life experiences; seizing new opportunities as they present themselves; navigating unforeseen circumstances; and embracing life-wide education and emergent technologies. The stories in this article are written with a singular purpose in mind: to reflect upon the emerging careers of recent Brisbane Girls Grammar School graduates to teach, guide and inspire those who will follow.

Fathers tend to be the most critical behavioural influence for both boys and girls regarding sport matters and in particular becoming involved in sport. Parental involvement is particularly relevant for girls because parent activity and encouragement have been shown to influence the activity patterns of girls to a greater extent than boys.