Thoughts, comments, ideas and pause for thought from members of our school and extended community.
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A quick internet search reveals a wide range of answers, all contextual. If it's a company maybe it's profitability or customer satisfaction. Sometimes success is ranked by a measure of improvement.
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The NHS website defines anxiety as, '...a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe.'
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This time of year, much is written about the joys of Christmas. It is a great time of year for many people, and rightly so. There is much to celebrate and be thankful for. But here, I wish to say a little about those people for whom it is not such a great time - the homeless, the lonely, the bereaved.
Following on from Matt Shroff’s recent article on what it's like being the Director of Wellbeing, our Deputy Head (Pastoral), Tom Rainer, was also asked the same question about his role as Head of Pastoral Care.
If we time travelled back ten years, you would find me a fairly typical teacher when it came to PSHEe (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education). Yes, it was useful stuff, but not always very interesting, a bit of a pain to teach at times, sometimes something to be dropped when things were busy.
Recently, I wrote about self-worth and its value in all our lives, especially in the young. This chimes well with the nationwide focus on Friday 19 November, on Children in Need.
So many ills of society, and thus the tribulation of individuals, seems to come from what we value. Not money, nor property or possessions; rather how we feel about ourselves. The child who bullies others, someone who falls in with gangs and drugs, the person who considers ending it all - it seems to me all these stem from a need to belong, to be given value, to be made to feel worthy.
Sometimes, when teaching children, it can be tempting to dumb things down or swerve difficult topics. However, this can be a disservice to them. As head of PSHEe, I believe it is important to empower pupils with knowledge before they actually need it - not too early, but just when they are ready.
Challenging boys on assumed attitudes
All of us need our frame of reference challenged. The attitudes and assumptions we take on because of our own experience AND what society tells us is the norm, form our frame of reference. For example, my assumption that Winchester is a friendly, welcoming place is based on my experience and what people say to me about it, however, I should not assume this is the same experience for others.
Tough world for boys?
It can be a tough world for boys to grow up in. There is a lot of conflicting messaging in the modern world. For example:
Know my name?
This week I have been trying to learn all the new boys' names. There are quite a few this year, and I never quite succeed inside the first seven days but I'm well along the way. I encourage the boys to do so too.
