The moment at which I was as far away from Ryde School as it is possible to be and still be on the earth’s land surface seemed a good time to beam into a school assembly which I had been all set to do this evening/morning. Assemblies this term have been focussing on ‘–isms’ so reflections on globalism and internationalism, from the other side of the world, seemed apt. I was keen to explore these two distinct but related ideas, both ones we hope our pupils will embrace, and also to make clear that they are linked to, but not the same as, globalisation. Alas, it was not to be. International connectedness does not seem to stretch as far as getting a link to work in the School Gym, even though the connection worked thirty minutes before and five minutes afterwards – disappointing perhaps, but in some ways I always quite like it when something about the modern world doesn’t quite work!
It was an apt day to do it too having spent the morning at Christ’s College, Christchurch, which, having been founded at precisely the same time as the city of Christchurch, 1850, must be one of the oldest schools down under. Like the schools I visited in Australia, Christ’s had that amazing blend of the traditional and the new but there was a closer synergy between town and school than elsewhere as Christchurch and the College were for a hundred years the very model of an English town, steeped in Anglicanism, gently conservative, traditional – I could have been in Canterbury or Salisbury, although some of the stone reminded me of Perth. Much changed in 2011 when the town and school were hit by a destructive earthquake from which the town is clearly still in the process of recovering. And in rebuilding it is consciously maintaining some of the old but adopting a more modern and outgoing approach too. This is something Mr Wynne, the Principal, is keen to see reflected in the School too and in the last two years the School has joined the Round Square, become consciously engaged with Positive Education and Well-being and is building exchanges all the time (I hope that will include Ryde.) He does this alongside a firm commitment to the Anglican foundation and rigorous character and leadership education, as well as leading an unashamedly ambitious school academically and on the sports field – it was an inspiring and informative morning.
I was especially struck by the terms in which his Deputy framed their commitment to Globalism – Think Globally, Act Locally – and it fit neatly into the themes I explored later in assembly.
Globalism and Internationalism have both become increasingly critical concepts with the acceleration of globalisation and the recognition I often repeat that those graduating from Ryde face competition for university places, jobs and personal relationships from all over the world. Of course, globalisation is not something new. Those war memorials I saw in Brisbane and now again in Christchurch, the story of the extinctions of numerous flora and fauna in Australia and New Zealand by the arrival of humans (and not just from Europe, it was the arrival of the Maori in New Zealand that did it for the Moa) and the fact that I have been able to use English for the last six weeks despite being thousands of miles away from England all serve to remind that globalisation has speeded up, but not begun, in recent years. That said, I think we can safely say that the impact of globalisation is more felt today, and demands a response, than ever before. Globalism and Internationalism are two ways in which we can try and deal with this.
By Globalism I mean the recognition that we all, as individual human beings, have global responsibilities by virtue of our being Global citizens. Put simply, what we do on the Isle of Wight has consequences felt around the world and we have a responsibility to recognise that impact and do something about it. Its why I have been so pleased to see the work that has originated with our pupils and their “green people” initiatives. There is no better place to understand the significance of global warning than on Heron Island, where I was last week. The ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef, of which Heron Island is a part, supports highly rare and diverse species and is delicately held together by coral that is deeply sensitive to rising temperatures. Globalism doesn’t just mean understanding our geography and biology however. It also means recognising that if you are involved in a war that destabilises a region it might well be that a consequence is dispersal of people and pressures from both refugees and economic migrants that come back to affect you. It also means realising that your trade policies have a direct impact on small communities all around the world. And so on. Whilst I have seen for myself in the last few weeks the enormous advantage of engaging with some of these consequences directly (and also appreciating the ethical challenge regarding travel and tourism that implies) the urge to ‘Think Global, Act Local’ is a reminder that we don’t need to leave our Island to honour our world.
If globalism is about what unites us, internationalism is in a sense the opposite, for it is about recognising differences, in this particular case national and cultural differences, and learning to celebrate, learn from and thrive on those differences. I hope we achieve quite a bit of that at Ryde already – we certainly have a more diverse community at Ryde than many schools on the Island, and not just thanks to the boarding community. Our students’ exposure to other cultures via projects such as GhanaLink, the South African Rugby Tour and the Barcelona visitors is all part of that and I hope that will grow if we are able to join Round Square as Christ’s have just done. The most successful students who will leave Ryde in the next few years will be those who develop this cultural confidence and competence and comfortably embrace all that the world has to offer. They will understand themselves better too. The Norwegian friends I was staying with in Sydney are required to ensure their children do a couple of hours per week on the internet to keep up with their Norwegian education, but, as their mother said, they have become more aware of what it means to be Norwegian by going to an Australian school than from anything they learn online.
So, Globalism and Internationalism, one about recognising what we have in common, the other recognising and learning from diversity. My own journey these last two months, which has now brought me half way round the world, has been exciting for discovering new cultures and ways of doing things, but I have always been an internationalist. It is my heightened sense of globalism that is the greater change. Twice in the last two weeks, once, sitting on Heron Island, watching a Loggerhead turtle lay eggs in a habitat that could soon vanish, then, last weekend, seeing a rare rainforest parrot picking up a plastic wrapper it had found in the sea. These are quiet, important moments and I think there will be more.
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