Pleasingly, I have the opportunity to wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year. This time of year always seems to me as if we were divers, poised before plunging headfirst into the unknown waters of a new year. 2016! For many of our girls, this is a pivotal year as they face the obvious challenges of exams, choices and decisions and it is our hope that they feel supported and encouraged by us in these key mo-ments of the new year. This week, we are in the throes of the mock GCSEs and once again our year 11s have demon-strated their resilience and fortitude as they have gathered to go into the exam hall. I may say that they have also demonstrated an extraordinary decibel level too!
Over the Christmas holidays someone asked me how long I’d been teaching, it was with some concern that I realised it would be 30 years next year (I was pretty well a child when I started of course!). Their next question was whether I was ever bored with teaching something over and over again? That was an easy question to answer – never. However many times I have taught “Macbeth” for example, however well I think I know it, there is always a new idea, fresh dis-cussion and an original perspective from our students. They question, explore and debate with ferocious energy and who could be bored in such an environment?
Most importantly, all research seems to agree that children smile up to 400 times a day and an adult about 20; there is the same variance in how often we all laugh. I reckon I have reached my average smiling quota by about 9.30 in the morning – our girls are cheerful and positive, smile at us in the corridor and laugh at our jokes (even quite convincing-ly). No wonder then that visitors to our school always comment on the happy environment they find and the positive relationships they have observed. Who wouldn’t want to work in surroundings where you can achieve above average smiling and laughing opportunities? Education is a serious business but there’s no excuse not to enjoy the experience!
I wish you all plenty of smiling opportunities in 2016!
Mrs Meredith
