Page 8 - ES MAG 2019

An interview with our Headmaster,

David Lambon, reveals some interesting

thoughts on the controversial subject

of change in education.

Interview by Alexandra Kassinis 6B

David Lambon rst walked into a
classroom as a teacher in 1992. He describes
suddenly having to give up seeing the
world “through my own lens”; instead,
standing at the front of the class (rather
than sitting at a desk), a teacher’s
perspective is about all of the 24 (or
however many) students striving for that
A in A-Level Mechanics. Some engage
more than others; some are more con dent
than others, he notes. But, all of them
need the teacher to be a “detective” who
gures out how to help each level of
learner. Mr. Lambon laughs as he describes
himself wanting to be prepared for
06 every possible question in his rst years;

it got easier to predict the questions over
the years.

Re ecting on his own years as a student, Mr. Lambon remembers
a stricter, more rigid time when the “teachers were Gods” and
the focus was less on explaining things than on just passing on
information. Replicating his own teachers’ style was not really
an option in the more child-oriented environment that he entered.
Children and their experience had become the focus of education
and it was much more important to teach in an active manner.

For Mr. Lambon, the change from teacher to head teacher in 2000
seems to have been somewhat bittersweet. “You don’t become
a teacher to sit behind a desk”, he says with conviction. “Believe want a whole portfolio of skills, including “teamwork, good com-
it or not, one becomes a teacher because they like kids. Teaching munication, technology skills, languages, resilience and adapt-
is a pleasure.” As a headmaster, he misses everyday teaching and ability”. These skills have to be cultivated in school, something
the grati cation of seeing a class improve day to day. A school, he Mr. Lambon hopes to make part of The English School experience
points out, is made up of people and where there are people, more and more. He pulls an example straight from the headlines;
there are inevitably problems. “There are at least three really tough British Steel was the largest employer when he entered the job
issues to be tackled every single day” on top of regular business. market, but it is now on the verge of collapse. “The world is a
more unpredictable place now and schools and mindsets must
Describing our school as a “national treasure”, Mr. Lambon clearly keep up.”
appreciates the diversity of opinions that challenge him every
day. With over “1000 students, 150 sta , 2000 parents and over There seems to be one constant in
5000 active alumni”, it sounds like he rarely has a dull moment.
But, as a headmaster, he sees the ability to change things for the Mr. Lambon’s discussion of change -
better. While many decisions aren’t “popular”, it was striking to that learning never ends. Embracing
hear him say that a headmaster more than anyone else forges an
“emotional connection” with the school he/she leads. “Ultimately, this seems to be part of his recipe for
when you leave a school, you will leave a part of you behind.” what makes a good student, teacher,
Many things have changed since Mr. Lambon was at school. headmaster and school.
Interestingly, he sums it up by suggesting that his “generation
had it much easier than today’s”. Then, with 4 As at A-Level one was
guaranteed a job anywhere. Today, along with 4 A*s, employers