What have you done today to make you feel proud? It's never too late to try.
Earlier on in my career, part of my remit was to lead the weekly Head Master’s Assembly. At the time I don’t think I had faced anything as daunting! I, as Head of RS and Philosophy (aged just 24), had to speak meaningfully about current affairs or some other relevant topic to over 900 boys while flanked by the Head Master, Deputy Head Master and Deputy Headmistress, all dressed in academic gowns. No pressure there! To support me in my task, I went on a course on using music in assemblies to add effect. My school was somewhat traditional and so this was something rather daring. I don’t think I used music much during that time either, however two specific songs have stuck in my memory from then. One was the Black Eyed Peas’ ‘Where is the Love?’ as an alternative take on a remembrance assembly and the other was M People’s ‘Proud’. Over 15 years later, I still use ‘Proud’ because I think it has a really powerful message and we should reflect on it. This week we have welcomed students from Y4 down to Y1 into school and I have, once again, behind my mask, been grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat. Our students yet again have risen to the challenges and are once more adapting to an unusual situation and just getting on with it. We said ‘goodbye’ to Y6 on Monday as they headed over to secondary to begin their new stage, only to say ‘hello again’ to 6N as they came back to isolation on the 4th floor due to the suspected measles case. Again, they have accepted everything without a grumble or a groan. I was in the dining hall watching Y2 have their lunch when I mentioned to someone I was with how proud I was of them and how I was surprising myself that I could be any more proud. It turns out my capacity for pride in them is effectively limitless. We have such amazing students and it is not a coincidence; they have had some fabulous role models along the way.
This got me thinking about capacity. We can do more and we can achieve more, we just have to put ourselves in the position to do so. Or, in this case, be put in the position. When we look back at just what we have achieved, we deserve to not only be proud of our students but also of ourselves. Everyone deserves recognition for what they have achieved and how they have presented themselves as the professionals that they are. It’s not easy now and it won’t be easy moving forward but we can do it and we will do it.
I will leave you with a quote from one of my favourite programmes: "Every Time We Think We've Measured Our Capacity To Reach A Challenge, We Look Up And We're Reminded That Capacity May Well Be Limitless." - President Bartlet.
We’re all tired and we are all running on empty, but let’s not forget to be proud and keep reaching further.
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