How sad are you, Headmaster, that you should join the over-caffeinated army of under-employed bloggers. Haven’t you got enough to do with your time? Try doing something useful like learning Balochi or something. (Look it up.)
Yes – you’re right. A blog is time-consuming and dangerous. All those students, ex-students, and grumpy parents; and all those who don’t like you, can say some jolly nasty things about you under the anonymity afforded by a cyber identity. Who needs that!
Sticks and stones may break your bones but a blog can completely smash you!
Despite all, I shall persist – buoyed by encouraging tales of ‘blogbarians’ being sued for defamation and liability, being fined, fired, expelled and generally beaten about the head and body. Nay Phone Latt (true name – parents must have enjoyed ringing each other), was sentenced to a modest 20 years in prison for an inappropriate blog. So – behave yourself!
Why start a blog?
Well – it’s probably because I’ve shed enough insecurity to be able to handle the risk, and gained enough courage to be able to cope with the crud that might be served between the more gracious and intelligent comments of the ‘Bloggerati’.
More particularly, I think society enjoys engagement and connection – even with its headmasters! The art of conversation is not lost, it has just evolved. And I like conversation.
That said, I don’t think I have much to offer on the value of certain dog shampoos or whether there is prudence in avoiding marriage when Scorpio is in Sagittarius. Therefore, I shall limit my musings to ‘education’ and ‘leadership’. If you want anything more than that, you’re going to be disappointed.
Why the mix of topics? It’s because of something J F Kennedy wrote a few moments before he was shot dead in Dallas, Texas, on 22 November 1963. Written in the speech in his pocket was the observation that education and leadership were indispensible to each other … and I think he’s right.
So – if you fancy travelling with me on my mental perambulations on these two topics, it would be a pleasure to have your company.
10 comments
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David Osborne
October 19, 2011 at 4:43 pm (UTC 10) Link to this comment
I’m on board and looking forward to your musings.
Peta Gresham
October 21, 2011 at 11:57 am (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Very modern Tim… if only all bloggers wrote on concepts they had experience and qualifications in- to offer an insightful and constructive personal reflection!
Tim Hawkes
October 25, 2011 at 11:44 am (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Many thanks Peta….I’m looking forward to joining the bloggerati and to contributing a bit to debate on education and leadership.
Jack Goodman
October 25, 2011 at 4:25 pm (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Welcome to the blogosphere, Tim. Your mission is worthy, and there is always room for educated voices expressing thoughtful opinions. Conversation is an excellent objective in itself. It’s only when the dialogue stops — or we stop listening to each other — that bad things tend to happen.
Tim Hawkes
November 3, 2011 at 12:14 pm (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Great to have your thoughts Jack and I look forward to our dialogue in the “ether”.
Amy H
October 29, 2011 at 6:25 pm (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts as always Tim!
Tim Hawkes
November 3, 2011 at 12:18 pm (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Thanks Amy. I hope that I might fuel some discussion and cause you to chuckle from time to time.
Stephen Crouch
October 31, 2011 at 11:55 am (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Confining comments to Education and Leadership certainly restricts the literature review! Maybe starting with Augustine’s confessions of 400 AD you might examine the painful use of primers which I too struggled with. Augustine wrote “I had fallen in love with Latin literature – not, that is with the texts taught by my earliest teachers, but the literature taught by the so-called ‘grammarians’. My primers of reading, writing and arithmetic I found more of a burden and a punishment than the whole of Greek literature put together. … But it was through those books that I gradually acquired the ability to read any piece of writing that I came across, and to write myself anything that I wished to write; which ability, once gained, I still possess.” (The Confessions, Random House).
Tim Hawkes
November 3, 2011 at 12:21 pm (UTC 10) Link to this comment
Thanks Steve, the painful primers I experienced at school included the cane!! Fortunately most of us get educated despite school. Blessings Tim.
Patrick A
May 5, 2012 at 3:15 pm (UTC 10) Link to this comment
You ask “why the blog”?
I’d ask “what took you so long!?”
Great to have such privileged access to your thoughts, esteemed mentor. Blog on.