Kilgraston Head of Sixth Form assembly

Kilgraston Head of Sixth Form assembly

Kilgraston Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Kirk, shares her first Kilgraston assembly, based on the topic of ‘wisdom’:

When I was trying to think up a topic for assembly, I found it really difficult. So, I asked for help – because that’s always a good idea! Mr Allaker suggested I look at the Sacred Heart goals for inspiration, whilst Mr Campbell told me to talk about Harry Potter – because you don’t need to know me for long to know that I love Harry Potter and all things Hogwarts. So much so that every birthday I get lots of Harry Potter themed gifts, and my birthday last week was no exception. So, when I went to write my assembly, I grabbed my new Ravenclaw notebook and saw my inspiration- ‘wisdom’. That’s what I’ll talk to you about today. Because my favourite thing about Harry Potter is Hogwarts, and my favourite thing about Hogwarts is Ravenclaw – the house where ‘those of wit and learning will always find their kind’ – imagine that – a house dedicated to learning, reading, – hanging out in the library – it’s the stuff of dreams! Because I love learning – I have always loved learning and I teach because it means I still get to learn – from you, every day! But I’ll come back to that in a moment.
Now as I’m new, lots of you might not know what I teach – it is Philosophy. And some of you might not know yet what Philosophy is. Philosophy literally translates to ‘love of wisdom’, so you can see why it appeals to the Ravenclaw in me. It is the subject where you try to answer big questions – Who am I? Why are we here? How do I know the difference between right and wrong? Big questions – with no easy answers. Which is why when I was in school, I really …did not like Philosophy! I had a thirst for knowledge, I liked learning, and I thought that to learn I had to know – and in Philosophy you never stop asking why?! Socrates, a very famous Greek Philosopher, said ‘The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing’ – so how then could a love of wisdom equal knowing you know nothing?

There is a book I read in my Philosophy class called ‘Sophie’s World’ – a novel to help introduce very old and quite complicated Philosophies to teenagers, and there is a quote that I’d like to share with you. ‘To children, the world and everything in it is new, something that gives rise to astonishment. It is not like that for adults. Most adults accept the world as a matter of course. This is precisely where philosophers are a notable exception. A philosopher never gets quite used to the world. To him or her, the world continues to seem a bit unreasonable – bewildering, even enigmatic. Philosophers and small children have an important faculty in common. The only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder.’
And that is why I love teaching – viewing the world through children’s eyes reminds me to never stop asking why (because if you know any little children, you might know that they are really good at asking why!) – to understand, though, that it’s not about getting the right answer, but rather asking the right questions – the fun is in the learning, not the knowing. And I know this can seem a bit at odds in the middle of prelim exams for the seniors, but when you get to the end of the prelims, please don’t focus too harshly on what you didn’t know – instead get excited about the learning journey you can have between now and your final exams – and beyond! And whilst doing so, know that you are fulfilling the Sacred Heart goal to hold a deep respect for intellectual values.

But this year’s goal is Faith, and another Sophie’s world quote is ‘where both reason and experience fall short, there occurs a vacuum that can be filled by faith.’ You see Philosophers who believe we can know things, believe that this knowledge either comes from our reason and logic – inside our head – or comes from our experience, through our senses. But sometimes we can’t find the answers here and for many, when we can’t find certainty, or the path seems unknowable, then faith can be a powerful tool for navigating the unknown and helping to bring a sense of peace and calm during times of uncertainty.

I’d like to end with the message to enjoy the learning journey you are gifted at Kilgraston – it really is a magical school – and to never lose the child like sense of wonder or suppress the desire to keep asking ‘Why’ and seek answers.