Face to Face With the
Deputy
Uday Pratap Singh and Rijul Kochhar
interview the new occupant of the Deputy Headmaster’s office
Doon School Weekly (DSW): How
do you feel on being appointed the DHM?
Philip Burrett (PBR): I feel privileged and grateful that the school
finds me worthy of this task. At the same time, there is apprehension of a
sort because I have never done anything like this before. There is a feeling
of elation at one end and an equal sense of trepidation on the other. But
yes, there is a deep sense of inner pride.
DSW: What would be your priorities during your tenure as DHM?
PBR: There are a lot of large issues to handle, but I would like to
set small goals for myself. This term I would like to focus on the
punctuality, behaviour, manners and turn-out of the boys. This is the
bedrock on which other things will develop, both in and out of the
classroom. I would like to keep improving the food, and upgrading security.
The hospital should focus on generating health awareness rather than just
curing illness. I have the multifaceted task of leading the team in the
Headmaster’s absence, teaching geography, looking after the campus and its
security and, most importantly, the welfare of the boys. I want to knock
down barriers between people and help make the system more transparent and
the environment safe. My colleagues are very important and I want to be
there for them, helping to remove obstacles in the way of functioning
efficiently. If the staff is happy, then the class is happy and in the end,
the boys are happy too. I would also like to arrange talks and workshops so
that the whole school can benefit. My dream is to see boys speaking openly
with their teachers, as well as teachers with other teachers, voicing their
problems without hesitation of any kind and to remove, if I can, the feeling
that has crept in over the years of ‘us and them.’
DSW: You are back as
publisher and manager (PubMan) of the Weekly after a gap of two years. How
does it feel?
PBR: I was a pathetic proof-reader the last time I was PubMan! I used
to be extremely jittery and scared before each issue of the Weekly. I was
the wrong man in the wrong job. This time around it’s more relaxed, as the
Weekly is already in the hands of extremely efficient people. My job now is
to make sure that the articles are appropriate and balanced. What I do want
to ensure is that all issues of the Weekly have a fine mix of creativity as
well as reporting, more events in school should be reported and catalogued.
DSW: What motivated you to be
an educationist?
PBR: It was by a process of elimination that I chose teaching as a
profession. I couldn’t be a banker, chartered accountant or a businessman. I
loved sports, adventure and travel, books and the experience that all these
add to just academic training and teaching could give me all that and more.
I like being with young people as they are more open and honest than the
adults I had met. I love the polarity between extroversion (when I am with
people) and introversion (when I am alone), at the end of the day. Even if I
was not here, I would definitely be doing something involving youth. I guess
teaching is a profession when one doesn’t really grow up.
DSW: Where do you see Doon
twenty years from now?
PBR: Twenty years from now I see Doon comfortable with the dual
exams, i.e. IB and ICSE. The school would be physically unrecognisable and
almost none of the existing structures would stand. All services from
laundry to house-keeping, to catering would be out-sourced, though I shudder
to imagine what the fees would be like! The staff would have changed
completely with the best in the field coming in, while teaching methods
would equate with the best available. We would also love to advertise
ourselves more than we are doing now. There would probably be no paper
around as cell phones and laptops would have replaced it. I would miss the
blackboard, chalks and duster though. PT would have gone too. The cafeteria
would be offering buffet- style meals. Each part of school – be it the music
school or the art centre – would have become the centres for excellence that
they are already moving towards. The library would be a state-of-the-art
affair. We would probably go underground or build upwards. The bulk of
students would be from North India, fewer from Central India and South
India, while the rest would trickle in from other parts. I don’t see Doon
going co-ed in twenty years. Uniforms would be different, if there were
uniforms at all.