Tucking into a hearty breakfast at my hotel in London last Sunday, in readiness for a day ahead at the annual COBIS conference, I found myself lingering over my baked beans. The reason for this … I was captivated by a conversation at a nearby table, where an electrician was talking energetically about his job. I could not help myself – his skill and knowledge of his craft were evident and compelling; I was fascinated! The wiring of air conditioners is clearly more complex than I thought, and it is now obvious to me how people should not underestimate the planning for the electrics in major events. Do not ever take this for granted! Heavy doses of pragmatism pervaded his descriptions, of course; I was able to appreciate his challenges as a contractor, and this simply added to my fascination. I learned so much!
It struck me, as I sat there listening, that accumulated knowledge is a beautiful thing – a wonder to listen to. There is something deeply human about hearing somebody talk about something they know well; not to impress, albeit with a sprinkling of pride, but simply because years of experience have settled into them and become part of how they see the world. Expertise, especially when worn lightly, can be incredibly stimulating to witness. It carries wisdom, judgement and unique stories within it – all of which are worthy of sharing. We live in an age which often prizes immediacy, speed and instant, discardable knowledge; there remains, however, something profoundly grounding about listening to somebody who has actually spent years learning, refining, practising and understanding, and who wants to do it right … arguably, this is a glimmer of Aristotle’s ‘phronesis’ in action, unfolding before my (really rather tasty) baked beans.
Perhaps, too, this is why conferences can matter so much when they are at their best. At COBIS, experts talk the language of education, and so much knowledge becomes available through conversation, challenge and shared reflection. One of the great privileges of working in education is that most educators genuinely care about what they do; when they gather together, they often cannot help but talk passionately about schools, children, staff, safeguarding, governance, inclusion, learning, leadership … all underpinned by human potential, and – not to be too dramatic about it – the sustainable future of the world. Sometimes these conversations happen on stages or in workshops (as indeed they did at a superb line-up at COBIS); often, however, the really interesting moments happen over coffee, in corridors, in taxis, or while waiting for sessions to begin. This too was absolutely the case at the COBIS conference; it was a place where people tested ideas aloud, wrestled with complexity, and revealed their accumulated wisdom – wisdom which rarely fits neatly onto PowerPoint slides, not least because so much of this accumulated knowledge has become so obvious and assumed by those speaking and sharing.
So, to the electrician I overheard that morning … thank you for letting me listen in, learn, and marvel at your knowledge. You made me think; you inspired me to capture my thoughts, and to share them with others. I really hope that you had a great week ahead!
