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Classical singer Michael Goldthorpe (right) at memorial service at Union Chapel |
Inspirational head who told his pupils: You can make it
Ex-colleagues and friends remember author of teachers’ classroom bible
PIONEERING headteacher Michael Marland’s message to his pupils was simple: “No matter your background, you can make something of yourself. Grasp the opportunities available in education.”
Up to 500 people, including many ex-pupils, remembered that lesson when they attended a memorial service for the popular teacher and author, who died of cancer in July aged 73.
Guests at Union Chapel in Highbury on Monday included former education minister Baroness Blackstone, American journalist and author Sylvester Monroe and former education chief Sir Peter Newsom.
Mr Marland, who lived a few doors from the chapel in Compton Terrace, was former head of the innovative North Westminster Community School in Marylebone.
Mr Monroe, a senior editor at Ebony Magazine who has been covering Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, flew to London specially to pay a personal tribute.
He described how the two had met 25 years ago at an education conference in the US and became firm friends. Mr Marland was impressed with the way the struggling young journalist from a poor black family had managed to overcome a difficult background.
He was invited to London to share his experiences with pupils at North Westminster. “He wanted to show them that a young black guy can make it,” Mr Monroe said. “He was the coolest white guy I have ever met.”
Sir Peter, a former chairman of the now-defunct Inner London Education Authority, described how Mr Marland set about the challenge of running North Westminster, which had originally been three schools.
“There were some good heads around at the time,” Sir Peter said. “But there was only one who had the drive, commitment, energy and vision to make that school happen. That was Michael.”
Sir Peter added that Mr Marland was always able to engage with people. “You could be a high academic or someone struggling to read and write,” he said. “Michael would engage with you and make you feel important.
“It was a quality that meant parents wanted their children to go to his school. They would sometimes even move homes to be closer to his school.”
Former deputy head at North Westminster Maggie Semple remembered how Mr Marland put dance on the curriculum at a time when it lacked popularity in education.
Dr Anthony Seldon, author and master of independent Wellington College, described how Mr Marland’s seminal book on teaching, The Craft of the Classroom. A Survival Guide, had been an inspiration when he was training.
The book said teachers had to combine the roles of salesman, music hall performer, parent and clown.
Music at the service was provided by The Young Persons’ Concert Foundation (of which Mr Marland was a patron) as well as the chapel choir of Forest School in east London, where his widow Linda is a governor.
Singers from the Rabindranath Tagore Society and the Organisation for the Advancement of African Women performed.
Mr Marland’s son Ollie performed For All We Know by Donny Hathaway and another son, Matthew, read an extract from the poem How Long Does a Man Live? by Pablo Neruda.
Mr Marland is survived by Linda and five children, Folly, Oliver, Tim, Ben and Matthew. |
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