Principal lauds learning advances
Schools and teaching methods may have changed since Joy Shepherd first walked into a classroom 45 years ago, but children have not.
Mrs Shepherd, 67, who is stepping down as principal of St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls after 17 years, said children had always been "curious, energetic and remarkably compassionate".
What had changed was the way they expressed themselves.
She said that when she first started teaching children might write nasty notes to each other - now they were more likely to send a text or write a message on Facebook, which could have greater consequences.
Mrs Shepherd said the most exciting changes to education had come from research into how children learnt.
"Neuroscience is discovering new things all the time, which actually have an impact in the classroom on the process of learning," she said. "So we're now not just imparting facts but we can overcome barriers to learning."
Mrs Shepherd went into teaching after doing an arts degree at Melbourne University because both her parents were in the profession and it was "what bright girls did". She taught in Victoria, Britain and the US before she was seconded to Oxford University.
Mrs Shepherd came to WA when her husband John, who retired this year as Dean of St George's Cathedral, got a job.
She said she was proud St Hilda's students felt empowered to set themselves realistic goals.
"They genuinely want to be as good as they can be," she said.
"Sometimes people think St Hilda's is just an academic school and, yes, our girls get good results but . . . it's by understanding who you are and being as good as you can be."
