SCHOOL FOR THOUGHT

Building a Better School

The latest addition to our lending library is The Grammar School: Striving for excellence for 50 years in a public school world. The book tells the story of Halifax's Grammar School, a private school that is now a venerable and hugely-influential institution - but it was not always thus. Written in a very readable and engaging style by a former headmaster, the book illustrates how difficult it is to create a good school. The author documents the school's problems in attracting enough students; schisms, including a breakaway school; struggles with buildings and mortgages; strong personalities and heated resignations, and much more. The excerpt illustrates how difficult it was for the school to resist the progressive pedagogical fads that began to wash over the local public schools in the eighties. (p. 57)

"While the Board steadfastly defended the dismissal of Lankester and reaffirmed its full confidence in the headmaster, the issue refused to die. The Prep School faculty appeared calm on the surface, but the Whole Language conflict took its toll and seeped out into the parent community. The new Prep teacher hired to replace Lankester, Marjorie Cooper, was caught in the crossfire between parents and teachers over Whole Language. By mid-October 1986, she was deeply distressed by 'the sniping at Whole Language' and had to be talked out of quitting by the new head of Prep, Joanne Thompson. Following a rancorous Special General meeting in late November 1986, Montgomery took stock of the situation and was deeply distressed by the internal divisions. He waited until February 1987 and then - with the controversy still lingering - announced his intention to resign at year's end.

"The Whole Language War" divided the Grammar School community and led directly to the departure of Montgomery, a headmaster highly regarded by most HGS students. In his final Spring 1987 Headmaster's Message, Montgomery expressed grave concern for the future of the Grammar School. With a sombre tone and a tinge of sadness, he urged the HGS community to move forward, building upon current strengths while responding to the need for change. Given the successes of recent teaching innovations, he lamented the fact that 'Whole Language is doomed to become a political issue.' 'A school that does not grow,' Montgomery declared, 'is only a monument to its past achievements.' The lesson to be learned, according to Montgomery, was that those very acheivements are only possible in a healthy environment which accepts 'the need for changes and a willingness to accept change, not for its own sake, but to serve the best interests of children.' Exhausted by the struggle, Joanne Thompson left the Prep School in June 1987 and her husband Walter followed suit by resigning from the Board of Governors.

"The Whole Language controversy and the Lankester affairs had a lasting impact. A solid core of HGS faculty, mostly based in the Upper School, had succeeded in dealing a death blow to Whole Language and in reaffirming HGS's commitment to high standards, fundamental skills, intellectual rigour and a challenging curriculum. Students at the Grammar School were torn up by the crisis. In a pithy article in May 27, 1987, Weekly Kazoo, entitled 'A question of Morale,' Eric Brock asked, 'Why is HGS falling down when it is being built?' 'No matter what is occurring behind the scenes, the phony smiles...it is ultimately the students who will keep the school alive. Not the teachers or the parents, but you the overworked, undermarked students.' For the foreseeable future, educational standards were definitely 'in', and Whole Language and classroom computers were effectively 'out' at the Grammar School."