Dear Avanti family,
In 1998, I was on a bus in Nepal and read two memorable books. They touched my heart. The first was by Jiddhu Krishnamurthi about education and the significance of education as life work. The second was by Chilean writer Isabel Allende called The House of Spirits.
Krishnamurthi reminds us that education is life. And life is education. It isn’t something that merely happens at school. We refer to life long learning, but do we model to children and young people that we, as the adults in their lives, are learning still? When did you last learn something new? Really new? That ‘out of your comfort zone’ kind of new learning? If you can’t think of anything at the moment, perhaps it’s the start of a new adventure?
The House of Spirits is a family saga. It tracks four generations of a family, showing the challenges and difficulties of political and social upheaval. There is a strength in some of the characters, who connect with the spiritual dimensions of themselves. It shows how hope manifests in various and many ways, especially when we are not affected by the winds of change.
In the words of Krishnamurthi: “To understand life is to understand ourselves, and that is both the beginning and the end of education. Intelligence is the capacity to perceive the essential, the what is; and to awaken this capacity, in oneself and in others, is education”.
As we start the next half term, I challenge us all to explore some new learning for yourself. And to remember to go within and keep findings moments of reflection for yourselves and in your school communities.
With all my thanks for the ways you contribute to the Avanti way.
Dr James Biddulph
CEO Designate
