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Compassionate geographies is the Geographical Association President's theme for 2020-21. Susan outlines her thoughts about the compassionate community that makes up the Geographical Association.
I chose compassionate geographies as this year's theme as, to me, it embraces what the Geographical Association (GA) stands for: compassion for the planet and all the life upon it, including each other as a community. Over the years it is a word I have always been drawn to, and this year it has been used more than ever. And as we've seen in the media and our communities, compassion means little without thought and action. With this in mind I share some of my thoughts on compassionate geographies under three interconnected areas. Firstly, the compassion evident in the support and collaboration across our community. Secondly, compassion in understanding our students and their geographies. And finally, our compassion in teaching geography by supporting and challenging geographical learning.
Our compassionate community
My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style. (Maya Angelou, civil rights activist, poet and author)
My first area of the compassionate geographies is ourselves, with all our passion, compassion, humour, and of course our distinctive geographyteacher styles! Geographers have a strong connection with people and place, the ability to consider the world from different perspectives, and a vivid sense of justice. The geography education community has a long and rich tradition of passion, with the GA forming through teachers meeting to share lantern slides and, no doubt, discuss the images and how they could use them in their classes. The modern equivalent of lantern slides continues via social media, messaging services and shared drives. The medium and proximity may have changed, but the (com)passion for curriculum, teaching and learning has not. In fact, stretching back to the 1970s Schools Council projects, teachers have been engaged in working together in curriculummaking within subject associations and their own schools: the GA resources my own A level geography teacher used were part of the reason I developed a passion for geography and took it at university.
I am always moved by the compassion of teachers of geography who share their expertise with new teachers...