PREVIEW OF ISLAND CURRENTS: Vice Principal Mr Jobling talks citizenship, diversity, and spirit.
Transcript:
Katrina: Good afternoon, I’m Katrina. Here, I’m with Hannah and today we will have our DIVE interview with our special guest, our vice principal, Mr Jobling. The DIVE Publications is a collaboration between the Island School English Committee and our student news platform, Island Currents.
Hannah: Which serves the purpose as a commemoration for the long-awaited return to Borrett Road through a collective showcase of all stakeholders that have shaped and transcended Island School’s rich legacy. Our theme of today’s interview is ‘Spirit of Diversity: Promoting Citizenship’ within Island School. Mr Jobling, would you like to introduce yourself?
Mr Jobling: Yes. First of all, thank you so much, Hannah and Katrina, for the opportunity to speak with you. I am delighted to have a chance to share my perspective. Obviously, I’m new this year to Island School but I’m very excited, like everybody, to move back to Borrett Road, and to work with the students to make it and the transition as good as it is possible.
Katrina: Thank you. Great, so now let us start with our first question. As you have mentioned earlier, you are one of the newer teachers in Island School, so what is your first impression of Island School? Like did they make you feel like you’re in a really comfortable environment or anything like that?
Mr Jobling: That’s a great question. Before I even started, I felt very much a part of the community so all the teachers were really great in making me feel welcome and sharing information. And then as soon as I joined, I just found the energy of the students so positive and so happy. I guess my initial reaction was that I was just delighted to be here and get to know so many new people and to be so welcomed by everyone.
Katrina: Yes, and we are also really glad to have you here with us today.
Hannah: So that’s great to know. As the Vice Principal of Island School, what do you think is the Island School spirit? Like what’s your definition?
Mr Jobling: It’s a great question. What I quite liked about this is, I don’t think it is that easy to define. I think it means something slightly different to different people. But there are certainly things that are really central to it. It’s about finding your passion, being positive and making contributions to the community, these would be things I certainly see. And that community being your house, I think that is definitely a part of it, the wider school, and also our community beyond the school. I think, for me, those are the things I see as being really crucial, and just being the best person you could be within that community.
Katrina: So Let us start off with some more interesting questions. Was it your childhood dream to become an educational leader like you are right now, and what struggles did you have to overcome throughout the journey of becoming a vice principal?
Mr Jobling: So my childhood dream was definitely not to be a teacher. I would have said that is the one job I thought I wouldn’t do. My dream was to be a footballer. I love sports, I played lots of sports when I was young. That was definitely my dream. I kind of realised, when I got older, that wasn’t a realistic dream, but it’s still something I enjoy doing and I still play a little bit now. I think I decided I wanted to be a teacher after university. In university, I nearly went down a different path towards finance which was something I thought I might do. Probably the best decision I made was not to go straight into a job, I did a bit travelling after university. I did a ski season, and I had some time away. And that gave me space to think: what is it that I really enjoy? And for me, I really enjoy being around people, and getting to know people, and helping people. So, that was what drew me to being a teacher. I have not regretted that for a single moment. I had lots of challenges on the way. It’s a tough job, tests to resilience at times but it is a really rewarding job, so I’ve loved it.
Hannah: That’s a really interesting insight. Since Citizenship is part of the 6 Competencies of the Island School Futures curriculum, we would like to ask what your definition of citizenship is, as both a vice principal and a history teacher?
Mr Jobling: Yes thanks, good question. I think it is recognising your place and your roles and your responsibilities as a citizen. And again, I like to think of it as starting off local, both your school and your community, then global as well. So, I really like the idea of global citizenship, and all of us looking for solutions to global problems. We might start small, start local with our local issues, for instance in school and in Hong Kong. But then being aware of how that fits in the global challenges and recognising how different people from different parts of the world will face those challenges too. As a history teacher, I am even more passionate about it, and we often see in history or we focus on the things that don’t go well, whether that leads to crisis or wars or conflicts. And so, for me I enjoy exploring those and for students to understand what has happened in the past so we can try to avoid those mistakes and not repeat history.
Katrina: Yea, thank you for that amazing answer. So as you mentioned earlier, we know that one of your passions lies in soccer, history and in fact Mathematics as well, so do you think these are related to the term “citizenship” in any way?
Mr Jobling: First of all, I think all your passions can relate to citizenship because that is a really good place to start. I don’t think anyone should feel like they have to go and do something. If you start from something that you are passionate about, that could grow. Whether it is football, and that something that can bring a community together, locally or globally, or a particular academic subject, I think everything can relate to ‘citizenship’. In my experience, I think the particular skills you get from History, not only is the knowledge from the past, it is more about the critical thinking skills you develop, so thinking in different perspectives and why things happen helps you in becoming a global citizen. And similar in Maths, I think Maths is really about problem solving, and I think that is what citizenship is about as well. So I think those things definitely connect to it, but I think anything that you’re interested in, you could relate to citizenship in a meaningful way.
Hannah: Yes I definitely agree that passion can definitely connect largely to citizenship. So as you know hopefully, Island School has a very special learning environment where diversity thrives, in what ways do you think “diversity” is personally connected to you and leadership?
Mr Jobling: Oh what a great question. I think if I start with the leadership first, I think any effective team or effective group must be diverse. Not just in terms of the type of people who they are and the background of people, but in a way we think. So thinking as a leader, I always surround myself with people who have diverse perspectives, different ways of thinking. It’s really dangerous if we just surround ourselves with the people who think the same as us. We don’t really intend to solve any problems that way. Certainly as a leader, that’s why I think diversity is so important. As a school leader, it is also important to recognise that people have these different perspectives and different views, and try to accommodate those as much as we can, and make sure that everyone feels included within the community. I think that is another huge thing as an educational leader. Just from a more personal note, I guess I have lots of friends and my wife. My wife is from a refugee background. Initially when she was young, she overcame lots of challenges through her education, and moving to work, she is now a really successful lawyer. I have a lot of admiration for people who can overcome those challenges, and certainly it is not to suggest that anyone needs help but I think an appreciation of how it is more challenging for people from different backgrounds is important. Obviously, I’m from the UK, I’m a white male, I have a lot of privilege. I think it is important to acknowledge that, and then really make sure that there is a level of inclusivity for people in all different backgrounds.
Katrina: I also agree with what you said on how diversity is actually an important aspect, no matter where you are, whether in the workplace, in school etc. Adding on to that previous question, how would you approach the notion of understanding co-workers from different backgrounds?
Mr Jobling: I think the most important thing is to form a personal relationship and get to know people. It is not just the jobs that someone got to do, but actually prioritising where their experiences (lie), where they are coming from, what are the challenges they have in and outside of work? So I think developing that personal relationship gives you a foundation in which you can get the best out of people, and understand their challenges, and provide support that they need.
Hannah: As we are getting into our penultimate question. As a school leader, what do you think Island School should and could do in the next couple of years to transform into a fully inclusive and diverse environment which recognizes the identity of each and every one of us?
Mr Jobling: Great question. I think probably the most important thing is to think how our leadership structure can enable that. So moving away from the traditional model of someone at the top and then making the decisions, for it to be a much more distributed leadership, which includes people, all the different stakeholders in the school. So I think this is something we do pretty well at Island School, and it’s definitely something we want to continue to improve, so engage our student leaders, first and foremost. That student voice really does shape the things we do at school, so it is not me or Mr Loggie or anyone else who is making decisions but we’re informed that we support the decisions our student leaders make. And similarly, involving our parents, and I think that is such an important perspective. If we understand our students, we understand our parents, we are at a really good place. And then again, appreciating and giving a voice to our staff, because we have over 100 teachers who come from all different backgrounds, and those views are really important. So we’re trying to do this, and I think it is something we really need to keep an eye on it to make sure that is our approach in making decisions in the school.
Katrina: Last but not least, we hope to deliver some positive messages to Island School and the wider community during these turbulent times. If there’s one piece of advice that you would like to tell students or just young people in general, what would it be?
Mr Jobling: It’s a tough one. Something that is stuck with me, when I was about your age, about Year 10, I remember speaking to my Head of House. He said to me, “Mark, the person you will one day be, you are now becoming,” And I still remember him saying, ’cause it was that realisation of the things we do every day are what shapes our character. It is not like all of a sudden that we’re reliable, responsible, trustworthy, hard-working people. That is just built up over time, and that is how your character develops. So I think it’s as much as it is good to have a goal to aim towards and dreams to have, those are crucial. But it is really taking care of your character one day at a time, taking care of individuals, friends, supporting people on an individual basis. And all those things add up to making you the person you will be.
Hannah: Thank you for your advice. Since our time is up, we would like to thank you, Mr Jobling, for giving us a wonderful insight and your positive messages and for coming today.
Katrina: We are sure that you have inspired a lot of Island School students to strive to promote citizenship, and be the person they want to be. That brings us to the end of today’s interview. Once again, thank you for coming and we really appreciate it.
Mr Jobling: Thank you, it’s been a pleasure.
Hannah: Thank you Mr Jobling.
The DIVE column, a collaboration with the Island School English Committee, is just one of many features in store for Island Currents this year. Stay tuned for more!