In some parts of the world, the common conversation starter is the weather.
Reference will be made to the sun (or lack of), the wind (the strength of), the rain (abundance of), the cloud cover, the cold (extent of), whatever, and once that is out of the way, we can get on with the conversation.
Of course, here in Zimbabwe, our conversations start differently, by asking about family, home, rarely the weather, which may well be because we have such pleasant, consistent weather.
One visitor here recorded the weather forecast on television as it was so different to what he had been used to seeing overseas; here the forecast can last five seconds, saying “it will be sunny all day all over the country” whereas overseas there is massive variety in different areas at different times of the day.
In addition, it may well be that we have different views of the weather.
A classic piece describing how Scots people see weather differently to others included such explanation as follows: “When it is 40 degrees F, Californians shiver uncontrollably but people in Scotland sunbathe...
When it is 20 degrees, Floridians wear coats, gloves, and wool hats; people in Scotland throw on shorts and a T-shirt...
When it is 0 degrees, New York landlords turn the heat on; people in Scotland have a last braai before it gets cold...
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When it is -20 degrees, Californians all now live in Mexico; people in Scotland throw on a light jacket. When it is - 80 degrees, Polar bears begin to evacuate the Arctic; Scottish Boy Scouts postpone winter survival exercise until it gets cold enough.
When it is -100 degrees, Santa Claus abandons the North Pole; people in Scotland wear a vest and pull down their ear flaps.
When it is -173 degrees, Ethyl alcohol freezes; people in Scotland get angry because they can't thaw their whisky..."
And then there is the ultimate (more relevant at this time) .“When it is -500 degrees, Hell freezes over; Scottish people support England in the World Cup”.
Climate is important and it is one thing that we are desperately seeking to be able to control, being increasingly conscious of global warming.
But climate is important in education as well. Sir Ken Robinson said in one his TED talks that: “The real role of leadership in education is not to command and control … but climate control… to create a climate of possibility”.
We are to create a climate of possibility. We must control the climate that is conducive to our children’s fulfilling of their talent.
Our schools have weather conditions of their own, that we can assess and control.
In schools we may find precipitation, which is an important element when it comes to growth.
We need to check what the visibility is like; what the temperature is like in terms of the passion of staff; whether there is a stifling, stuffy, restrictive humidity prevalent in the school; whether there is constant cloud cover blocking light of inspiration reaching our pupils; what level of pressure there to enable them to develop; what winds are blowing, in which direction, that may blow our children off course.
There is nothing wrong with all those weathers but we must just help the children to learn to work within those conditions.
Ultimately, we need to create an environment that is conducive to growth and that will also involve weeding, pruning and watering.
It is not about the number of degrees though.
So, the question of the weather is really the question of ‘whether’, of whether we provide the weather where our children grow.
Whatever the weather, we must be there for our children and enable them to grow.
We have the power to create the climate of possibility for our children.
At the same time, though, it may be of value for us to realise that we also have the power to create a climate of impossibility, of no possibility, of little possibility, that may lead to limited and stunted growth.
Different weather affects different people.
We love the rain in Africa, as we do not see it often – we even dance in it (some may dance for it!). We measure it exactly and compare it, keeping a detailed record of it.
Folk overseas do not love the rain, do not measure it, do not care for it. We must find the right climate for each child.
We all know and appreciate that Zimbabwe has a wonderful geographical climate that enables a quality lifestyle – we must ensure our educational system provides an equally wonderful climate of possibility for our children.
There may be no chance that Scottish people will support England in the World Cup, but there is a definite chance that we can support our children by doing all we can within our means to provide a climate of possibility.
Oh, and how is the family? We will see.
