The first song I clearly remember form the group America was “Horse With No Name” and from there I started my enjoyment of the music from this group which has lasted over four decades. Ventura Highway was on as I sat down to do this blog and that got me thinking about the band. It also gave me the title for these points to ponder.
When I hear these songs along with Steely Dan, The Eagles, Doobie Brothers and the likes I am immediately back to the 1970s when I left school, went to college and started my journey into the world of education. I always get such a jolt when I realise just how much time has passed! I am hearing my memories played in the “Golden Oldies” section! Ventura Highway sounded like a good song to use this time because it always reminds me of a summer spent with my best friend who had just passed her driving test and bought a car! Great excitement as we trundled all around the place – sometimes as far as St Andrews! She was working and could afford to buy a car. I was a student and couldn’t afford the lessons so this was a great adventure. How our parents put up with it I only now wonder. No mobile phones, instant messaging let alone Satnav! They must have wondered if we were ever coming back when we took off to “somewhere” and arrived back hours later. It makes me think of the unknown and how we just shrugged when we had taken a wrong road (that happened a lot – still does even with Satnav) and how we never gave a thought to the passing time. That’s what memories should be I reckon. I once read that someone said “don’t cry because it is over; be glad that it happened” and that was true in school this week. One of our teachers left to pursue a career in behaviour support. It is an aspect of education that she has always had an interest in and so we were all supportive when she decided to look for a position within this sector. Therefore we couldn’t term it a “sad” day because we knew how excited she was to be starting this new part of her professional journey. That’s where the memories come in and the things that trigger those memories. Sounds, smells, places and especially music, can all send us back in time to a memory, often long forgotten. Hopefully these memories come with a smile and a fond remembrance; sometimes we’d rather not be reminded of it at all!
When I hear those songs form the late 1970s I think about my first classes and I am amazed by the changes that have taken place- and how right at the heart everything is still the same- the children. It can be argued that society has changed, the world is a more connected place, our planet is struggling with environmental issues and so on but right at the heart of it all are people and right at the heart of education you find people. Our schools are made of adults and children who are the same as the adults and children who were in school four decades ago or fourteen decades ago. Our methods, our thinking, the needs of our societies may have changed but not the fact that education is a people business and people are at the heart of it. We are so lucky in education because we work with young people who are curious and interested. Some may need more support than others, some may find what school is all about really engaging, some may not. Isn’t that true of everyone everywhere? The great thing about our job in school is that we can see the differences we make. We see it in our everyday conversations and everything that we do. Often we wish we could do more, do better but we have the privilege of being part of someone’s memories. Just as I am sitting here now listening to Free and thinking about listening to Radio 1 in art class in college as I worked – how casual we thought!!! Our young people will think of the teachers at our school and have memories of their experiences with them and the people they worked with. The teachers they enjoyed working with, the awfully clever DHT and me- will they smile? Time will tell- but the memories will be there.