Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained.
I was recently covering a Year 8 French class, and having come to the end of the lesson we fell into discussion about what constitutes a treat. I’m not sure exactly why we happened upon this topic, who knows it may well have been something to do with the forthcoming weekend and the chocolate that will be consumed by many.
As is often the case, our conversation ranged, and we began to think about all of the things in school that are a nice treat. I was reassured to learn that my list of treats at least overlapped with theirs. I think that we all agreed it was a treat to hear musical performances in assembly, there was a unanimous vote for cake sales, and finding that you’ve done your homework a lesson early was also a popular one. Chips on a Thursday led to a supplementary discussion, we decided that a treat is certainly different from a surprise, and indeed treats are sometimes the little things that we look forward to. So, what else hit the mark? Finding the green pitch empty, getting a green slip or house token, discovering that your friend has returned to school after they’ve been away for a little while. All of these got the nod.
It is perhaps these little treats, these simple pleasures that keep us feeling positive as a long term continues along its path. One of the treats for me as a teacher is seeing the look of satisfaction when a pupil realises that they’ve nailed a question. An opportunity to walk along the riverbank between the schools when the sun shines, now there’s something which has no price but much satisfaction. I know that some people see it as a real treat to be first in the lunch queue. Indeed, many of our treats seem to have some connection with food. Many in the Junior School are already looking forward to the myriad treats that shall be enjoyed during Around the World Day. Thinking about treats that never really seem to happen was also something that we considered, an email free day would be quite high on my list, but a more likely one is catching a glimpse of a kingfisher on the riverbank in front of the school. Turning on the radio to hear the opening chords of your favourite song was one I had to explain to the youth with their curated Spotify playlists, a lost treat in these days of on demand? But we all appreciated the smell of a new book and using a pencil for the first time.
One treat that I know we can all enjoy is the prospect of a long weekend. As we draw to the end of a busy and most productive term, I think that we can really appreciate the treat that is a Monday morning lie in. I’m sure that the rest of the day will be put to good use. And then we will enjoy the last four days of this term. Don’t forget the clocks go forward this weekend so I’ll look forward to seeing everyone, bright and early on Tuesday morning.
Nicholas Hammond
Headmaster
