The Six Bridges Philosophy

Six Bridges is not about revolutionary new ideas. It is not about pulling down existing structures. It is not about throwing out everything we have learned about teaching in favour of something new. Six Bridges is simply about taking a more reflective approach to our teaching practice and coming to an understanding of what works and what does not. As the old saying goes; if you always do what you always do, you’ll always get what you always get. As professionals we need to be smarter than this. We need to recognise that changes have taken place in education and in society and be prepared to adjust our thinking accordingly.

At an individual level Six Bridges is about recognising that students have changed. The automatic respect that teachers could once have expected has been replaced with an awareness of individual rights. The transmission of knowledge that once flowed naturally from teacher to student is now a far more complicated process. The public’s perception of teachers has changed; we are not held in the same esteem as we were as recently as ten years ago. Parents have different expectations of us and what we will do for their children. In short, while we turned around to write on the board, the world changed.

At a school or systemic level, Six Bridges is about the need to recognise the challenges that teachers now face and consider how best to support them in their efforts to cope with a changed environment. The time has come to take a fresh look at timetables, teachers’ loads and class allocations, discipline procedures and the way we approach the formulation of policies regarding student welfare and management.

At a community level Six Bridges is about establishing new links with the world into which our students will be thrust. It is essential that we learn about what is going on in the world of tertiary and vocational education as well as the needs and expectations of the workplace.

Six Bridges advocates accountability for all parties involved in the process of education. Teachers, administrators and parents need to be accountable for their actions, attitudes and achievements in the same way we hold students accountable. At the heart of Six Bridges is a desire to create a new environment that takes a position somewhere between the authoritarian model that has ceased to work and the liberal model that has never worked. Our focus is on the development of healthy working relationships. We propose a cooperative model based on mutual courtesy and understanding.

Six Bridges is a way forward for everybody who has a stake in education. We imagine a future in which education achieves its aims in the interests of all participants. Not only does every child matter, so does every teacher, parent, administrator and community member.