“Our potential is one thing. What we do with it is another.”
Angela Duckworth
We are coming to the end of one of the more difficult weeks of the school year… that probably sounds far more dramatic than it really is, but we are at the point of term where it is just far enough away from the end of term to seem like it will continue well into the New Year. Having enjoyed a warm autumn, we are now entering the season of coughs and sneezes as winter bugs start to circulate. Mock exams loom and there are plentiful deadlines. For some, hibernation might seem like a wise policy. All these feelings will disappear sometime in the middle of next week as we realise that the term is almost finished and there are the usual rounds of fun activities that mark the end of this term. The Christmas Fair is tomorrow, always worth a visit and one of the first signals that we are approaching the end of the calendar year. Many thanks in anticipation to all who have worked so hard to make the fair the success that it will be.
In 2016, Angela Duckworth published what has become one of the more influential educational books, Grit, in which she makes the case for young people being given the opportunity to learn through controlled adversity, to develop a certain resilience when faced with challenging situations and in doing so overcome and become stronger people, ready and equipped to deal with future obstacles. Duckworth is a remarkable person, and the book is an important one for all interested or involved in education, and if we ever required a little bit of resilience this is the time of term when we could do with it… I’m delighted to see that so many are choosing to not hunker down for the winter. As with any (or most) self-help style books, Grit suffers from being all too focused on one single idea. I’m sure that we can all think of certain personalities in the world today whose sheer dogged resilience means that alternative views are ignored, and certain actions speak more of arrogance and hubris than of grit or determination. When talking to pupils I’m therefore careful with this idea, for a fine balance is required. Of course, I believe that pupils should take responsibility for their actions, should demonstrate endeavour and pursue excellence, but I’m similarly keen that they do this in a way that allows all to succeed and is done in a way in which their talent and skill can benefit all.
Aristotle made an eloquent case for lifelong learning, and the concept of phronesis, or practical wisdom, may well be as powerful a concept as Duckworth’s focus on resilience. Knowing when to seek help, to put personal ambitions aside and to work together is a similarly important character trait to develop. It is one that I believe we give space in school to ferment through our lessons, activities and social activities.
Soon we will be in a school awash with both lurid jumpers and good cheer, and the dark days of late November will be lost. Until then I’d suggest some early nights and plenty of time outdoors so that we are ready to enjoy all that the coming fortnight has to offer.
Nicholas Hammond
Headmaster
