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Money matters: Is old best? Not necessarily so - Part 2
Graham Macdonald
MBMG International Ltd.
The second part of the solution was, as discussed earlier, to
encourage the recruitment of ever increasing numbers of new names at Lloyd’s and
to increase the total capital provided both by them and by existing names. These
objectives were also executed successfully. The number of members of Lloyd’s
increased from 7,710 in 1975 to 18,506 in 1980, and then to 32,433 in 1988.
Increases of this magnitude were totally unjustified by the growth of the
worldwide insurance market and in particular by the business likely to be
introduced to Lloyd’s over those years.
During these same years, Lloyd’s also increased the financial deposit
requirements of names, while it reduced the total wealth requirement demanded to
be shown by members individually. As a result of the substantial increase in the
funds and guarantees deposited directly with Lloyd’s by its members, the gross
underwriting capacity at Lloyd’s increased from £3.42 billion in 1980 to £11.02
billion in 1988. The substantial increase in capital funds provided by the
unsuspecting names during the first six or seven years of the 1980’s had no
immediate genuine business to finance.
The growth in insurance business worldwide did not match the growth in Lloyd’s
capital, and because the US Liability claims were not due to start reaching
Lloyd’s in size until the late years of the decade, a vacuum of legitimate
opportunity developed. Some of the more unscrupulous underwriters, members’
agents and brokers found ways to fill it. They introduced unprofessional and
improper practices which had little or no valid commercial justification. The
most infamous development was the LMX Spiral. This was initiated when a few
syndicates re-insured the excess risks of other better run syndicates. Those
first spiral syndicates then started to re-insure those same risks with other
syndicates. Syndicate A reinsured with Syndicate B. Syndicate B with Syndicate
C. C with D, and then the spiral commenced as D reinsured a higher layer of the
original risk with Syndicate A. And so it started again.
The spiral developed in ever decreasing circles at ever higher layers of risk
and ever decreasing premiums. During the course of the spiral the syndicates
writing spiral business reinsured themselves several times over. And at every
turn a Lloyd’s broker took 10% of the premium in commission. A financial
disaster was inevitable. It would happen with the first major catastrophe.
Surprisingly no major catastrophe occurred for several years, but then the Piper
Alpha oil rig blew up in late 1988. The death knell of the LMX Spiral was
sounded and it collapsed within a year or two. The business making up the spiral
was not insurance. It was a series of bets that a major catastrophe would not
happen within the next twelve months.
It was guaranteed to end in total and overwhelming loss for the unsuspecting
members of the spiral syndicates; the only question was when. The rates charged
and its spiral circularity were such that no competent broker would have touched
it, far less any competent or ethical underwriter. Yet Lloyd’s regulators
condoned it and a number of leading underwriters re-insured their worst risks
with the spiral syndicates.
The names who were placed on the LMX spiral syndicates were overwhelmingly the
new names who had been lured into Lloyd’s as a result of the recruitment
policies described earlier. Those new names were, for the most part, unable to
join well-run syndicates as the latter found themselves unable to attract
sufficient legitimate new business to justify taking on more names. To all this
the regulators at Lloyd’s turned a blind eye... Needless to say, names on the
spiral syndicates were never informed of the nature of the time and distance
policies nor of the accounting principles applied to them. And neither did
Lloyd’s regulators, approved syndicate auditors or accounting practice
supervisors interfere... Research studies have shown that members of the Council
of Lloyd’s were noticeable by their absence as members of spiral syndicates. The
most knowledgeable and professionally competent of Lloyd’s working names did not
themselves participate as members either; and most kept their old established
clients and friends from joining them.
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The above data and research was compiled from sources believed to be
reliable. However, neither MBMG International Ltd nor its officers can accept
any liability for any errors or omissions in the above article nor bear any
responsibility for any losses achieved as a result of any actions taken or not
taken as a consequence of reading the above article. For more information please
contact Graham Macdonald on [email protected]
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Snap Shots: Inspiration from Julia Margaret Cameron
by Harry Flashman
 About
every couple of years I find it is necessary to forget technology and
look at photographs from the point of view of artistry. Look at the
photograph, which is of the eminent historian Thomas Carlyle. That
photograph was taken in 1867 and is ranked as one of the most powerful
portraits in the history of photography. That is correct, almost 140
years ago.
Look again - technically it is imperfect. There is blurring of the
image, and when you realize that the shutter was open for probably
around three minutes, then you can see why. The sitter could not
possibly remain motionless for that period of time. But it still has the
power to mesmerize the viewer. Why?
The dynamics of this shot come from the very first principles of
photography – painting with light. It is not the subject that matters –
it is the way you light the subject, and this is the prime example,
taken all those years ago. The light is falling on the sitter almost
from the side and slightly above. One eye is partially lit and the other
in shadow. The hair and beard show up strongly. The photo is actually
totally confrontational.
Analyze further. If the face had been front lit, and both eyes, the nose
and the mouth were all clearly visible then there would be no air of
mystery. The dark areas of the photograph have made you look further
into it. You begin to imagine what the features were like. You also
begin to imagine what the person was like. You are experiencing the
“perfect” portrait. This is not a ‘record’ shot, but ‘creation’.
The shot was taken by Julia Margaret Cameron (1815 – 1879) a British
lady who had been raised in India, in the days of the British Raj.
Surrounded by servants, she had never had to do anything for herself,
and yet, in her late forties she took up the new fangled notion of
photography. This was not the age of the point and shoot digital
simplicity we enjoy today. This was the age of making your own
photographic plates by painting a mixture of chemicals all over it -
chemicals you mixed yourself - exposing the plate in a wooden box camera
and then fixing the negative in more chemicals and finally making a
print.
It was the 29th of January 1864 when Mrs. Cameron finally produced her
first usable print. She had made the exposure at 1 p.m. and in her diary
recorded the fact that by 8 p.m. she had made and framed the final
print. (And you think you are doing it tough if you have to wait two
hours, instead of one!)
As opposed to the tiny “cartes de visite” that were the norm at that
time, Julia Margaret Cameron was making close up portraits 30x40 cm.
However, she would not have managed to photograph so many of the
notables of the era had it not been for her next door neighbor, the Poet
Laureate, Alfred Lord Tennyson. After Tennyson saw his portrait he
persuaded his eminent friends to sit for her as well. Most of these
portraits were different from the Thomas Carlyle photograph in that they
were taken in profile. Mrs. Cameron felt that the innate intelligence
could be more easily seen in the profile and this may have been the
result of the influence of the quasi-science of Phrenology, whereby your
cranial bumps showed your true talents, which was all the rage at that
time!
Julia Margaret Cameron contributed to photography by showing that it is
the eye of the photographer that dictates the photograph, not the
“smartness” of the equipment. She also showed a personal determination
to succeed which should be an example to the young photographers of
today.
So you can stop reading the photographic magazines to see if you should
buy the latest offering from Nikopanasononanolta complete with one
millionth of a second shutter speed and dedicated flash power for up to
three kilometers and just go out and take photographs with what you have
got. Look at what is in front of you and “make” your own photographs
“work” for you. Thus endeth the inspirational lesson. Thank you Mrs.
Cameron. Class dismissed!
Modern Medicine: A bad attack of the Bronickles!
by Dr. Iain Corness, Consultant
A couple of weeks ago, this column featured colds, otherwise
known as Coryza. That miserable affliction that leaves you with the runny
nose and sneezing and feeling sorry for yourself. However, today we take the
infection a little further and a little deeper, with Bronchitis being the
end result.
Now while many of you may smile at the title of this week’s discourse, you
have no idea just how many times patients have regaled me with that phrase,
“a bad attack of the Bronickles”. There are also other classics, such as,
“Appendicks? No, I’ve had them removed,” which of course is very reassuring
since you only have one appendix. But I digress, let’s look a little further
at Bronchitis this week.
There has been a literal epidemic of Bronchitis recently. The hospital has
been full of coughers, in my office three people have been suffering and a
friend’s children both ended up in hospital barking madly. Even myself, I
have not been immune, and my Coryzal sniffles turned into one of those
repetitive coughs that can keep the whole house awake at night. And the
house does not thank you!
So what exactly is “Bronchitis”? Well, the first thing to understand is that
Bronchitis is not the disease, it is really a descriptive term. Remembering
that anything ending in “-itis” means inflammation/infection, this means
that Bronchitis is a condition affecting your “bronchi” which are your
breathing tubes, leading into the lungs. (They start off large and become
smaller as they split and dive deep into the lung tissue and when they
become very small they are called “bronchioles” and yes, you can have
“Bronchiolitis” too!)
Now you can see why “Bronchitis” in different people does not necessarily
have the same cause. Generally it is bacterial, and there are many that can
infect the bronchi, but it may also be caused by viruses and even irritative
chemicals. So if you got over your Bronchitis in a week, don’t scoff at
someone who is still struggling three weeks later – it was from a different
cause.
The symptoms of Bronchitis are mainly deep seated coughing, productive of
sputum (that ikky stuff you spit into the hand basin). Thick tenacious
mucous which is very difficult to bring up, and if you are a smoker, it
becomes even harder. Sorry to bring up smoking again, but smoking reduces
your resistance to bugs, lowers the body’s ability to expel the mucous and
lengthens recovery time. Really there is no up-side to smoking, only a
down-side.
If the infection does not remain in the bronchi, but gets out into the lung
tissue, you are reaching Broncho-pneumonia, even more potentially serious as
your respiratory capacity becomes increasingly smaller. If it is already
compromised by smoking, you are in even more serious doggy doo.
So how do you tell if the infection is just in the tubes, or spreading into
the tissue? Quite easily - you go along and see your doctor, who with his
stethoscope can listen and determine whether it is happening. Sorry, but you
cannot do this on your own, unless, of course, you have your own stethoscope
and have undertaken six years of intensive medical training! Even then,
sometimes it will be necessary to progress further to an X-Ray to see just
how much damage has been done, and how deep the infection goes.
Cure is not all that difficult. An appropriate antibiotic in the case of a
bacterial infection will work very quickly, but choosing the correct
antibiotic is not a case of “Give me a strip of 10 of the pink and green
capsules” either. Clinical suspicion plays a part, experience too, and if
necessary, a sputum culture and antibiotic sensitivity is needed to optimize
the choice. If the cough lasts more than a couple of days - get advice!
Finally, always remember that it’s not the cough that carries you off, it’s
the coffin they carry you off in!
 Heart to Heart with Hillary
Dear Hillary the Electrician,
US electric motors not only run on 110 volts, or thereabouts, but also 60
cycles, exactly. If in turn they are wound for exactly 60 cycles, they will
wind up burning out at 50. It has to do with impedance, as I’m sure you know
but simply forgot. Impeded but not yet totally burnt out, I am yours truly,
Paw Yigh Lee in Muang Yote Nakorn
Dear Paw Yigh Lee in Muang Yote Nakorn,
What have I started now? I am so sorry that American cycles get middle-aged
burn out at 50, while it seems the Thai versions will go on to 60,
unimpeded, or something. Or have I got it wrong again, my Petal? When I was
scratching around trying to find the answer for the poor chap with the 110
volt American lekky massager he wanted to switch on in Thailand, where were
you then, Paw Yigh Lee in Muang Yote Nakorn? It’s all very fine being
critical from the outside, but I need unimpeded and unrestricted access to
resource people in this country. I shall put you down for all questions
regarding electric chairs. But honestly, Petal, why did you expect a poor
old Agony Aunt should know anything about electricity. Or should I now be
called an Agony Amp? Or should I just go ‘ohm’ and forget about it?
Dear Hillarity,
Now, as a fully qualified astromer (sic) appointed by Dizzyworld, I’ve been
very concerned about the downgrading of Pluto and the effect this will have
on those like you who rely on horrorscopes to ease them through the tangled
intestines of life. So, in order to calm your worries and show nothing has
changed; Because Pluto is waning behind Mickey Mouse, who is waxing on about
Goofy eclipsing Minnie, without paying the usual bar fine, in the shadow of
Venus when the moon rises over Pattaya’s short-time hotels, my predictions
for next week are:
Sunday - Foreign armed forces leave Iraq, U.N. appoints Saddam Hussein as
caretaker President until new dictator emerges and shoots him.
Monday - Khun Thaksin applies for Social Security benefits in the U.K.
Pattaya Mail’s Hillarity inundated with chocs and fizzy.
Tuesday - Pattaya wins the coveted BIFRA, Best International Family Resort
Award. Soi 6 celebrates by having a Family Day, i.e. halving bar fines
during Happy Hour for boys under 12 years of age buying a minimum of six
large scotches and accompanied by their parents.
Wednesday - ALL religions embrace the 11th commandment, Thou shalt have a
sense of humour. Some extremists do not think this is funny.
Thursday - Every Thai motorcyclist seen is wearing a crash helmet, some even
fastening the chin straps. Economic disaster when Thailand bans use of the
expressions - “Up to you” and “No have” - many bar girls and most shops go
out of business.
Friday - Khun Thaksin refused Social Security benefits in the U.K., and
after accepting a work permit instead successfully applies for Tony Blair’s
job.
Saturday - President Bush, now with idle troops to deploy, declares war on
the U.K. for harbouring criminal despots.
Stargazer
Dear Stargazer,
I do thank you for the good news that chocs and champers are on their way,
but I have to ask, did you really mean ‘astromer’, or was it supposed to be
‘astronomer’? Perhaps the spelling occurred when you were blinded by the
planets aligning so that the Sun was in Uranus momentarily. Thank you for
bringing us up to date on the interplanetary movements, and yes, I heard
about Minnie was getting a bit goofy recently. But I believe she is taking
tablets for it now.
Dear Hillary,
You well informed old Dyke You! With such an alert brain, one well may in
fact think, you are a male of the species! I read with interest all these
letters from the cry baby farang males, who have lost their true love and
the girl as well, due to either stupidity or naivety. There is a simple way
to over come this dilemma. I was told by a Thai Lawyer that you buy a
receipt book and write out a receipt for any monies given to one of these
Little Brown Snappers. Explaining to them you have a company and you have to
keep check of your expenses. She is classified as a live in housekeeper. She
signs for each payment, in the case of separation, you show she was paid for
services rendered. If she hires a lawyer, he would point out to her she
didn’t pay tax. The problem I’m told, generally ends right there. I hope my
sweet Dame Edna Copy Cat, that this snippet will help these stupid men who
see the bar scene from the one eyed, earless part of their anatomy.
Please withhold my name
Dear Please withhold my name,
How wonderful to hear from you, my Petal. I thought male chauvinism had died
about 20 years ago, but it is so nice to see there are still pockets of it
left. However, I doubt that the lawyer will point out the tax angle, or the
case expenses won’t mount up. Dame Edna was a figment of Barry Humphries
imagination. I am not, so we can’t be alike. So there!
By the way, a dyke is one of those stone walls around Holland that young
lads stick their fingers into. Or perhaps even that part of their anatomy
that you are referring to!
How I see things
by Boxer
 Woof.
The old man had a few words with the Editor and it seems that my article
that I pawed some weeks ago was ‘excellent, superb quality’ etc. Well the
editor did not actually say that but felt that I did have some potential so
for now on the Old Man is keeping in the background and ‘Its how I see
things as a Boxer!’ Now as you will appreciate I am a well read dog and like
to keep up with current affairs.
There has been a lot going on over supposedly recent changes to land
ownership and later changes to visa regulations. Nowhere does it mention dog
kennels so I am safe for the moment. All sorts of comments about Thailand
shooting itself in the foot and leave the country while you still can.
Well as we know the land regulations have always been in place, they appear
to be just enforcing it now. The reason no doubt is the abuse it has been
put to by certain ‘people’. The same goes for the visa requirements - they
have been abused. If you want to stay in this country and have nothing to
hide (this is the main point) then there are visas suitable for most, except
perhaps those under 50. I know I am privileged as I have a visa for life but
not everyone can call himself or herself a dog!
Too many foreigners bring nothing to the country. Look at My Old Man: he
even brought me although I was disappointed he did not think I was worth the
90,000 baht originally wanted by customs. Anyway back to those with less
than four legs, many pay no taxes, so could you do it back in your own home
country (as a visitor and not an asylum seeker)?
Everywhere is a compromise and has good and bad points. I was going to Spain
(I am allowed in and back into the UK on my dog passport), now look at the
many people who bought property there and are now being forced into losing
their land for subsistence housing or even demolition because they were sold
it by unscrupulous builders/lawyers without permission.
In Thailand if we abide by their laws, are polite then we are generally left
alone. I just wish the other dogs were more friendly but then I understand
that they often have to fend for themselves. (Hey, there’s an idea I can
talk about soon.) Remember, we are only guests in this country and it was
our choice to come here.
We do not have to face the political correctness that seems to be gripping
some home countries or the red tape such as health and safety. I am even
allowed in places in Thailand (as long as I lie down and don’t drool too
much, which I could never do back in UK).
I understand that in the UK, Remembrance Day marches to the local memorial
must now produce a Hazard Risk Assessment, take out insurance and have
yellow reflective waist coated marshals all along the route. Surprised they
don’t need dogs to lead them! Indeed the same applies to fundraising
activities. My Old Man’s old Rotary Club had to cease their annual duck race
(plastic ducks I add). They had to fence off both sides of the small river
for a mile and have marshals in boats every 50 meters (they always had a
boat to save wayward ducks and dogs like me who cannot swim).
Political correctness to those who are getting on seems to have gone
completely ‘bonkers’. Recently a man received a police caution to remove his
security gnome from the garden as it causes harassment to his neighbours.
Watch out you guard dogs, the writing could be on the wall, already we
cannot bite any thieves even when they are on our territory.
So think hard, do you really want to live under those rules? There are a lot
of good things in Thailand, lets stop moaning about the little things that
are not the same as we have come to expect in our original country. I do
have a moan about dog food, I just wish there was more choice, especially as
the Old Man stops me from having delicious Thai food, something to do with
aromas afterwards, don’t know what he means but then I am only a Boxer, so
remember the ‘grass is not always greener on the other side’.
Woof for now
Email [email protected]
A Female Perspective: Burglary!
with Sharona Watson
Of all the crimes sick people commit, burglary has just got to be the most
pathetic, cowardly and disturbing. The idea of scum wandering about your
house and weedling around your personal belongings is a terrible, terrible
thing. It leaves you feeling completely violated. What is it with these
people, that drives them to break into another person’s private, personal
space? They are so sneaky and underhanded. They are like ‘peeping Toms’,
only worse.
I wish in some ways that I’d found them in my house when I arrived home the
other day and discovered that we’d been ‘done’. That might surprise you, but
I can promise you I would happily knock any intruder out. I learned
something when I was doing my National Service, you know. I cannot write on
these pages what I said and what I thought when I saw the mess they had
created. Drawers were all over the place, emptied and upside down with the
contents thrown everywhere. They have no respect. A large section of metal
railing had been cut out from the back of our house and they’d had no
problem opening the sliding window after that. I’ve fixed them now and I
doubt very much they’ll be able to get in again and there are a few
surprises waiting for them, if they do try.
I imagine that they were male. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a female
burglar. I’d have liked to have made eunuchs of them. Burglary disgusts me.
It’s the same kind of cowardly, violent behaviour that is part of rape.
Except that with rape, which is a combination of the very worst evil
elements of violence, cowardice and bullying, there is no punishment too
painful. It is a crime committed by the scum of scum and I know I’m not
alone in advocating castration at the very least for rapists.
What I find astonishing is how rapists seem to be dealt with by the courts.
So often they don’t seem to get what they deserve. So often they are treated
with unbelievable leniency. Is it a coincidence that most of the judges
passing sentence are male? I’ve heard of suspended sentences, six months
sentences, three or four years; unbelievable. Even if they get ten years in
prison, they can be out again after three or four years after ‘good
behaviour’. What a joke that is.
Zero tolerance, that’s what I have towards these kinds of people. In fact, I
don’t have a very high level of tolerance towards dishonesty of any kind.
Why should I? I learned from quite an early age that the feelings you get
inside your stomach when you do something wrong just aren’t worth the
trouble. We used to call it the ‘sweet shop feeling’. Small sweets would
mysteriously disappear from the shelves in the sweet shop and reappear in
our pockets. Even if we weren’t found out, it didn’t matter because we knew
we had done it. Somehow, the sweets never tasted as good as they should have
done. That is the beautiful thing about a conscience. It just doesn’t let
you go.
Having said that, I’ve seen many examples of people who keep falling into
the same hole, making the same mistake as others have made before them. I’ve
heard ‘making the same mistakes repeatedly’ given as the definition of
‘stupid’. Lying is like that. I am astonished by how some people seem to lie
so much that they start believing what they are saying. A big liar surrounds
himself with more and more lies and forgets that they are saying one thing
to one person and another contradictory thing to another.
I’ll go further. They surround themselves with weak people who have
something to gain from being associated with the liar. These people are
often bullies themselves; at least they think in the same way. In the
concentration camps these kind of people were called ‘Kapos’. Afraid for
their lives (or livelihoods), they convinced themselves that they were ‘part
of the regime’ and gladly sacrificed their own integrity for personal gain.
They would flatter the commandant, laugh at their jokes, offer to look after
their children and try to make associations because they thought their
future would be brighter. But most of them ended up in the gas chambers like
everybody else. Liars, along with rapists and burglars, need to be taught a
lesson. Part of me believes that they get what’s coming to them in the end.
Another part of me isn’t afraid of giving fate a helping hand.
The thing that really gets me is that if everybody has a conscience, then
liars and thieves must be making a conscious decision to do something wrong.
So they are deluding themselves and “the worst kind of delusion”, as my
husband says whenever he hears of instances of injustice, “is self
delusion”. The strange thing is that in trying to hide from their lies and
their crimes, criminals often make particularly poor judgements which only
make their own dishonesty more obvious. Sometimes, by their actions, they
draw attention to themselves and their lack of judgment says much more about
them and their guilt than anybody else could.
For example, when I had my mobile phone stolen, after a few days I found out
that I could keep the same number. Of course, the robbers had been using my
phone until the money had run out. But who are you going to call if not your
friends? Shortly after I got my number back, I received a call from somebody
who hung up as soon as they heard my voice. I reported the number to the
police and they traced the call. By interrogating the man; they found the
person who had stolen my phone; simple.
Another way to bring the worms to the surface is to offer to do something
for someone who you suspect of being dishonest and see how they react. If
they have something to hide, they will always say ‘no’ without any thanks or
any reason. As Andy says, “Never underestimate the predictability of
stupidity”.
Next week: Those teenage years
[email protected]
Learn to Live to Learn: Sunshine on a rainy day
by Andrew Watson
There’s a term in education, which one wag at university used to say was
“used by people who can’t think quick enough to describe people who can.”
(Moriarty ’96) It’s a mobile word that has been used widely in many fields,
such as soccer, where it was frequently used to describe players like Alan
Hudson, Charlie George, Eric ‘Le Roi’ Cantona and Roy Keane. One dictionary
definition is “A person who does not behave or think like everyone else, but
who has independent or unusual opinions.” (O.A.L.D.) Occasional
correspondence resulting from this column has suggested that perhaps I might
also qualify as a ‘Maverick’. It’s an interesting view, but by no means one
that I necessarily subscribe to. It’s certainly true that I’m not one to
thoughtlessly or blindly follow the crowd. But equally, you might very well
find that the opinions voiced in this column, which are after all, designed
to stimulate increasingly informed debate on a subject about which I am
passionate - education - could quite conceivably be described as
‘mainstream’.
To substantiate this claim, I’m going to quote directly from some of the
best known educationalists of the last decade (and before) whose research,
courage and vision has done much to shape the current international
education landscape and has hopefully influenced education policies,
principles and practice at local, regional and global levels. Some of what
follows, I would suggest, is required reading for anybody involved in
international education. It would be a matter for the reader to question why
many might be either unfamiliar with such literature, or maintain a high
level of disinterest towards it. I encourage you to draw your own
conclusions. As for me, reading these words is like sunshine on a rainy day.
On Globalism and education:
“It is increasingly evident in the advertising industry that a global
perspective is being exploited directly by multinational corporations whose
world markets are being shaped, articulated and cultivated with images of
‘one planet’, ‘one world’, ‘one market-place’ and ‘a small planet’.
Increased access to knowledge centres and research pools, especially in
education is creating strong reasons to explore the core meaning and
direction of the type of education provided by international schools and its
relation to students views of the world.” (Sylvester, 1998)
“It is not the worldly distance travelled that is important to the
intellectual transformation of the student and teacher towards a broader
world view, rather the degree to which the individual steps out of a
culture-bound process of thinking, learning and viewing the world.” (Hayden
& Thompson, 1995)
On essential elements of internationals schools:
What many consider to be an essential list of properties that allow
International schools to move in a positive progressive direction: (Hayden &
Thompson, 1996)
* Diversity in student cultures
* Teachers as exemplars of ‘international mindedness’
* Exposure to others of different cultures outside the institution
* A balanced formal curriculum
* A management regime consistent with institutional philosophy (and I would
suggest, international philosophy)
On celebrating diversity:
“Inclusive international schools expect diversity and accept student
diversity as an enriching act and not one requiring a ritual acceptance into
the dominant subgroup. Diversity in recruiting (teachers) has only limited
value if the orientation of those teachers does not include their view of
themselves as world citizens.” (Sylvester, 1998)
“Respect for the differing views of others, and a readiness to learn from
them are among the most difficult human virtues. They are, however, among
the most needed.” (Laszlo, 1989)
“Conduct in the classroom should be characterized by an approach to
questions of diversity in a principled manner. Teachers themselves should
demonstrate overt appreciation for the cultural groups in the school.”
(Sylvester, 1998)
“Central to education for international life is recognition of the unity of
mankind in a commonly shared world.” (Connell in Skilbeck, 1988)
“As we enter the global phase of human evolution, it becomes obvious that
each person has two countries, their own and the planet earth.” (Dubos, in
Becker, 1973)
On schools doing the name ‘International’ a disservice:
“Such schools are characterised by ethnocentrism and cultural separatism.
They do not have a clear framework of the whole world as its educational
field of focus.” (Banks, 1986)
“In schools were one group of teachers or administrators from one place
forms the dominant group, an entire world of teacher training assumptions is
naturally implanted into the school culture. They would find it difficult to
engender truly world-minded views of teaching and learning.” (Sylvester,
1998)
“Diversity is managed by a series of pre-determined policies.” (Sylvester,
1998)
“Educational systems, rooted mainly in national concerns and constrained by
national ideologies, cannot educate young people to live meaningful (happy
and effectively) in a world society which is global.” (Blaney, 1991)
“It learns from its diversity but only at arms’ length and without a
conviction passionately held that there is a wisdom and knowledge in the
full range of human diversity.” (Sylvester, 1998)
“Teachers are contracted to work at an international school on a variety of
different terms which, it can be argued, reflect their potential commitment
to their jobs.” (Cambridge, 1998)
“The more explicit a school ideology, the less fragile the school culture
and climate will tend to be. Management should display affection for problem
solving in which agreement on the facts is common place.” (Sylvester, 1998)
Students and teachers: a reciprocal arrangement:
“The school should be a place where acculturation takes place: both teachers
and students should assimilate some of the views, perceptions and ethos of
each other as they interact. Both teachers and students will be enriched by
this process.” (Banks, 1986)
“Students should be trained in a high level of dialogue that requires
compassion, suspension of judgement and rigorous assessment of the facts of
any position.” (Sylvester, 1998)
“The most important change that people can make is to change their way of
looking at the world.” (Ward, 1995)
“The greatest challenge effacing multilateral international schools today is
one of worldview.” (Sylvester, 1998)
You see, I am by no means alone. Tremendous.
Next week: Going to the Dogs
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