Staff Meeting at Uduvil

Introduction: 1) Difficulty on deciding on a subject 2) Chose a subject that has been on my mind rather vaguely 3) This task has given me the opportunity has given me the opportunity of thinking intensely on the subject. 4) The subject: Personal Relationships in a School 5) Warning – No application to any particular school, St. John’s or Uduvil. These are, however, my observations at St. John’s and elsewhere. Before I come to the subject proper, I should like to spend a few minutes in making clear to you the kind of school I have in mind, its ideals and aims. I have in mind schools like Uduvil or St. John’s - Christian schools founded for the purpose of imparting a Christian education to the pupils. No one can have any doubt about the aim of our schools. What is Religious Education? There is often a confusion between religious education and religious instruction. When we think of religious instruction, we think of the teaching of Scripture, the drawing up of the syllabus, methods of teaching etc. Religious education is a much more subtle matter. It is not an affair of the classroom or the school only, though these in giving religious instruction have a vital contribution to make. Religious Instruction is one subject among many in the curriculum; but Religious Education reduces all subjects of the curriculum to one. Its aim is to enable the child to grow spiritually as well as physically, morally and intellectually. By its derivation, the word ‘education’ appears to mean making a plant grow, but it is the plant which does the growing, sending down its roots in search of the nourishment it needs. Spiritual nourishment is to be found not only in the Scripture lessons, but in every subject and in every activity and in the whole business of living and common life. The business of religious education is to enable the children to find that nourishment in these experiences. In a good school, the spiritual atmosphere should not only be breathed in the chapel or the daily services, but should permeate every activity in the classroom and the playing field alike. It has been said that in a good school religion is the only subject taught and the only subject lived. A schoolmaster was once asked when religion was taught in the school. “We teach it all day long,” said the schoolmaster. “We teach it in arithmetic by accuracy. We teach it in language by learning to say what we mean. We teach it in History by humanity. We teach it in Geography by breadth of mind. We teach it in Handicraft by thoroughness. We teach it in Astronomy by reverence. We teach it in the playground by fair play. We teach it by kindness to animals, by courtesy to servants, by good manners to one another, and by helpfulness in all things.” Religious education and not mere religious instruction is the aim of our schools. The classroom is not the only place where education can be imparted to the boys, and the teacher’s work is not confined to the class room. We must remind ourselves of the fact that only a small part of education deals with the conscious mind. Much of the largest part is concerned with the development of our outlook – sympathies, attitudes, sensitivities and beliefs. All these for the most part exist in unconsciousness. One of the tasks of the schools is the teaching of certain skills – reading, writing, arithmetic etc., but the teaching of techniques or facts is not the

major part of the business of the schools. It is with the unconscious mind that they are chiefly concerned, the building of an attitude to life, the imparting of certain standards and values, the dyeing of personalities a certain colour. I have outlined very briefly what I consider to be the task of a Christian school like ours. The twenty hours minimum prescribed by the Government may be sufficient to earn our salary, but if we are to fulfil our obligations as Christian teachers much more is expected of us. A Christian society must be built up in the school and only in the atmosphere of a Christian society can Christian education be imparted. We will now proceed to consider the importance of personal relationships in a school. The establishment of a friendly relationship between the members of a school is essential for the building up of a Christian society. We must regard school life as an art and make for it the high claims that painters and sculptors make for theirs. Not only have we to study the technique of our work in teaching and administration, but we have to learn the art of living in a community. To live in health and wisdom and good fellowship with others is an important part of what children come to school for. The corporate life and worship of the school should put the students in the way of beginning to learn the art of living. I think the smooth working of a school depends to a very large extent on the personal relationship that exists between (1) the Principal and Staff (2) the members of the staff with one another, and (3) between the staff and the students. I am quite convinced that there is nothing so important for the progress of a school as a healthy personal relationship between the various members of the school. We may have a very highly qualified staff, we may have a spacious compound and beautiful buildings, we may have the best of equipment, but unless the members of the school know the art of living together as one family, the school cannot fulfil the purpose for which it was started. First of all, let us consider the relationship that should exist between the Principal and staff. The relationship should be personal and not merely official. The Principal knows the teachers individually and intimately in and out of school and there is proper understanding, mutual regard and friendship between them. One cannot overestimate the importance of the personal touch. Personal loyalty to the Head is a factor that contributes largely to the success and enthusiasm of a teacher’s work. We certainly have other motives than personal loyalty to the Head – our interest in the children, our keenness for teaching, our love for the school and various other things; but if we examine our own minds we will find that our personal loyalty to the Head gives us the necessary enthusiasm for our work. It may have come within the experience of some that when we could not give our personal loyalty to the Head, our enthusiasm began to wane. In an army it is the personal loyalty of the soldiers to the Captain that enables the soldiers to surmount all difficulties and even to risk their lives. It is therefore incumbent on the Head as well as on the staff to establish and maintain this friendly relationship. Where such a friendly relationship does not exist it may be the fault of either the Head or the teachers or both. The Head may be selfish and self seeking or he may be grossly inconsiderate in his dealings. He may be tactless in his speech or he may be given to snubbing people deliberately. Such a Head, of course, can never win the loyalty and confidence of the staff.

To win the confidence of the staff he must be imbued with high ideals and pure motives. The chance of genuine cooperation between the Headmaster and the staff is greatly increased if his ideal is recognised to be something higher than his own prestige and success, even higher than the mere visible success of the school– no less an ideal than the best that is possible for each individual member of both staff and school. The Head may make mistakes in his judgements of men and matters, but the staff will forgive him and stand by him if they have confidence in his honesty of purpose and purity of motive. The fault may not be with the Head, but with the teachers. There may be one or two on the staff who are jealous or disgruntled or disappointed men. They will always be a source of trouble in the school. There may be some who are very sensitive and who are always on the lookout for trouble and take offence easily. Then there may be some who are self-centred and who look at things only from the point of view of their prosperity and well being. They will not be satisfied with any kind of administration, and their relationship with the Head will no doubt be strained. There are sure to be differences of opinion, but if the Principal and staff have both the right motive and aim there need be no friction, and all can work happily for the common good as members of a team. Secondly, there is the relationship between the teachers one with another. The things which bind the teachers into a fellowship are their common ideals, their interest in the children under their care and their love for the institution they serve. Sometimes there are petty quarrels within the ranks of the staff and the boys know more about those personal animosities than the teachers realise. When they come back as old students they will recall these though they may have said nothing at that time. There are various causes for the absence of perfect harmony among the teachers in a school. There are some teachers who always have an eye on the plums of office. There are the special posts and administrative posts which men covet. This gives rise to so much suspicion, jealousy and quarrels. It will be in keeping with the dignity of a teacher and it will help the smooth working of a school if teachers will never agitate for their promotion. Positions of responsibility must be offered to men and it should not be necessary for any to work up his case. It is true that in other walks of life men fight for their positions. The spirit of rivalry and competition may not have such harmful effects in government or commercial departments, but in a school it spoils the friendly feeling which is essential for a Christian society. Then there are some teachers who are temperamentally incapable of cooperating with others. They are misfits in any society and they are difficult persons to live with. Some are not able to control their temper and others their tongue, and troubles are often caused in this way. If you study the various causes of friction in Christian societies, you would say that they are due to the absence of a dominant Christian ethic and philosophy. Lastly, there is the personal relationship between the teachers and the pupils. I do not want to say very much about it. To the Christian teacher the classroom is a place where a Christian relationship between the teacher and the taught can be established. If the teaching is to be effective there must be the right relationship between the teacher and the student. If we are to influence our pupils by our speech and conduct we must first win their confidence. Especially in boys’ schools, there are problems of discipline which occupy some portion of a Principal’s time. Some teachers find it difficult to maintain discipline in class. If the right sort of personal

relationship between the teacher and the taught exists, many problems of discipline find their solution. Let me now conclude by attempting some sort of sketch of what our ideal might be in this matter of personal relationship. It is only our personal loyalty to Jesus Christ that will enable us to have the right relationship with other men. Personal relationships will be raised to their highest power only if a vital Christian spirit fills the whole community. If we are filled with the Spirit of Christ we would look at our work as God’s work, and we would look at our fellowmen as God’s children and our brethren. We would look at the backward boy in the class, not as he is, but as he is capable of developing. We would show patience in trying understand people, and in endeavouring to cooperate with them, difficult though they may be. We would look at men as God looks at them and we would face situations as He does. We would have what some one described as the ‘God’s eye view’ of the world. And from that exalted level a whole new philosophy opens out and our attitude to others becomes creative, redemptive and God-like. The Christian spirit then becomes the dominant motive and the determining factor which integrates all our life’s purposes. If then our relationship with others, our pupils, our colleagues or our Head is not the best let us ask how we stand with regard to our loyalty to Christ. The beginning of a new term is a time of renewal and rededication, and may God grant us the help of His Grace to put our personal relationships right and thus help us to further His work in this place.