Learning apart, together – Sandra Webster
I finished high school half a lifetime ago, but I still cannot comfortably call a teacher by their first name. For me, a teacher commands respect. Even my daughter’s teachers, some of whom are significantly younger than me, I still call Mr. and Mrs.
But a Principal? That is next level. The end boss, if you like. I was by no means a poor student, but when I walked past my principal, I knew I had to be on. Those habits stick.
Fast forward many years, and I’m at a party hosted by lingerie designer Jasmine (you can get her stuff here). As I turned away from the bar with yet another gin, I see my daughter’s principal. Ms. Webster.
I stopped cold.
Oh my God. It’s Ms Webster. Does she know who I am? Do I say hi?
She did, and I did… and discovered Jasmine is in fact one of her three children.
Once I got over my regressive stage fright we got to talking. A Kiwi transplant, Webster is a mother, lifelong educator, and now a Phd who has called Hong Kong home for 14 years.
We meet at Bradbury campus on a Friday afternoon. On any normal Friday, the school would be a cacophony of students rushing into their weekends like tiny hurricanes. But today it’s pindrop silent. On 25th January 2020, The Hong Kong Board of Education announced schools would not reopen after Chinese New Year holidays. At the time of our meeting, students had not been in physical classrooms for 15 weeks.
Few people live and breathe what they do in quite the way Sandra does.
“I became a teacher when I was 20. I left school at 16, six week later I had turned 17 was in training to be a teacher, I graduated and was back in the classroom when I was 20, teaching. It’s been my life’s work”.
Bradbury has led classes via Google Classroom and Zoom, adapting new techniques, and methods, with Sandra at the core. Bradbury has led the way in promoting and teaching our children about a sustainable future. Green walls line the corridors and stairwells. Air purifiying plants clean the air in classrooms and the library. “Peelies” collect food scraps from containers to add to the school’s compost bins, the product of which enriches the gardens, which are watered from rain collected in a gravity-fed tank. Bradbury has a zero waste policy and single-use plastics are a definite ‘no-no’. Taking action is an integral part of a Bradbury student’s life, and on weeknights, they can join staff and parents to deliver food to the homeless of Hong Kong, or visit the elderly at a local rest home the school has developed links with.
A school in Cambodia now has a library, built in partnership with Room to Read, and other schools now have extra classrooms and facilities, thanks to the fundraising efforts of the students and parents. For the last one, the students did not just bring money to school- they had to ‘run to Cambodia’, making sponsored laps around the playgrounds until they had covered the kilometres from Hong Kong to Cambodia. And yes, Webster joined in too.
Bradbury is the only ESF primary school with a class that caters specifically for students for whom English is a second language, in a small, bespoke class with a highly qualified and experienced teacher. This has been a highly successful initiative, one that sets these students up for continued success right throughout their schooling.
J: You’ve been Principal at Bradbury for 14 years, and will be retiring from the position at the end of this academic year. In your tenure, what has been your shining moment - a highlight you’re most proud of?
“I'm most proud of the school right now because this is the culmination and end result of my principalship here. The way that people feel about the school, the sense of community, the fantastic way that the teachers have got behind online learning – they have gone for it and done well. This right now is my shining moment, and I could not be prouder of the school that I've created”.
J: You've earned it.
“Thank you! It’s with good people. Bradbury is not just me, it's a team. It’s very much a culture of teamwork and fantastic people. It's a very special place, and I wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything I'm not prepared to do myself. If we want people to follow, we have to show ourselves worthy of being followed. That means getting in and getting your hands dirty when you have to. I'll do duty just like everyone else”.
J: Yes – I see you at the gate. Every time I'm here, you're here.
“That's true. I'll go out and hop on cake sales! That's part of being in a team where you work together. If you want people to be a member of a team, you have to be a team member as well. It just makes sense”.
J: It’s amazing to have such a linear career that you’re still so passionate about.
“I am, but it's been good to me too. It allowed me time off to have my children. I didn't teach for seven years while my children were growing up. In those years when I was off, I studied and got another degree. My children would go to bed at night and I would get out my books. One of my exams, I couldn't sit because I've just given birth”.
Cue that trademark Webster chuckle.
“ I was pleased about that. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do in that exam, anyway”.
J: I see the joy on your face when you speak about your children. What traits do you admire and are most proud of now they are grown?
“That’s really easy! I'm really proud of their very strong work ethic. They're all tenacious. They're all driven. They're all determined in their own way. They're all people with a strong sense of right and wrong, of moral justice, and integrity. When I think about the joy that my children have brought to me as adults… that's my one regret - not having more children, because they are fabulous people. However, I am lucky enough to have 4 stepchildren who are wonderful people, and who also bring great joy into my life. Together, my husband and I have 13 grandchildren, so our family life is rich, full and rewarding”.
“If we want people to follow, we have to show ourselves worth of being followed.”
J: The aim of this project when I first conceived it was to send a message about our hopes for Hong Kong and coming back together as a society, as a community that fosters respect and kindness. What are you hopes for the coming months?
“When I stepped off the plane in Hong Kong I fell in love. I've never stopped being in love with Hong Kong”.
“I've loved teaching. I've met the most extraordinary people. And I've been in the most extraordinary of situations, but in some ways… I almost hope things don't get back to the way they were. This been an opportunity to reset – to look at who is important in our society, to really value people. Doctors, nurses. The front line workers. It's not celebrities, and it's not having designer bags. It's about being together. That's what's important”.
“In terms of education, a lot of people have said to me, "Oh, what a shame, this was your last year." But I tell you - I would not have missed this for the world”.
J: I thought you might say that.
“We have been saying in education for years, and years, and years “we are teaching our children for their future, not our past”, and you know? Nothing's changed. This has forced us to re-look at what is learning. And we've got some children who have not set foot in our school, for what, four months? But they've flourished. Differences aren’t seen as a problem. One person may have difficulty with this, you may have difficulty with that. It’s the culture of the school, inclusive and accepting. Differences aren't seen as a problem. They're just part of who you are”.
“We can reset our concept of learning and expand our vision of what learning is, who can teach our children, and what is it they can learn.
“That's a fantastic thing, and I would never have missed that”.
At the time of publication, Bradbury will end the 2019 / 2020 Academic Year. Julia wishes to thank all the staff of Bradbury for the diligence, support and going above and beyond in supporting their students and families this year.
Special thanks to Chris, Sandra’s husband for his assistance during our shoot, and the omnipotent Ms Fritzi for access to the school for this project.
