Thoughts, comments, ideas and pause for thought from members of our school and extended community.
I attended a fantastic conference yesterday, where the daughter of well-known educationalist, Sir Ken Robinson, who sadly passed away in 2020, presented a keynote address entitled Imagine If… .
There is very little that can compare with the joy of waking up to an early winter’s morning game drive in the Karoo (a semi-desert region in South Africa). It’s the gentle crackling of frost underfoot, and the stinging sensation of the cold touching your cheeks that adds to the exhilaration of being out before the sun has risen. And then it’s the drive itself… The slow, steady chugging of the Land Rover’s diesel engine, whilst being swaddled in warm ponchos, creates a somnambulatory mood, where each sighting, and each beautiful vista appears as something out of a dream.
Running Holiday Clubs for Scripture Union in South Africa was one of the first places where I learnt the value of being part of a community. Each school and university holiday was punctuated by youth camps, where children from all walks of life could come and be a part of something really positive and meaningful, and for many, these times were life-changing. So much of the work we did back then was unpaid. In fact, there were times when we had to pay our own way to be a part of the programmes we were running, but somehow, we all felt richer for having being part of the team.
The use of the term ‘flourishing’ has proliferated in recent years, and can come across as being quite glib.
Complementary or contradictory statements? I have found the phrase, ‘Nothing is forever’, an especially comforting phrase over the years.
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'Anger management’ is a bit of a misnomer, isn’t it? The whole point is that anger is a strong emotion: visceral, real, explosive, and often spontaneous. We can all have problems with it from time to time – ‘He has a short fuse’ and ‘Where did that come from?’
I was reading recently about trends in wellbeing. It was interesting to find out the range of topical issues that are informing policymakers and leaders (Source: Global Wellness Institute).
This week, Reception to Year 6 have had their SCARF workshops. SCARF stands for Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience and Friendship, the backbone of the PSHEe programme we use in these year groups.
Bullying is a blight on humanity. In all my mental health and wellbeing training, my counselling training and in my dealings with professionals such as social workers, bullying comes up again and again.
A great flood hit a small town one winter’s day, and everyone had to be evacuated. One man was determined not to leave. As the waters lapped around his front door, the fire service arrived.
One of the themes of World Mental Health Day was Wellness. That's fine. But in some ways, every day is Wellness Day at Pilgrims'.
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Last week, I touched on using encouragement rather than praise. Now let's look at the question which is sometimes asked — why?
