Year 12

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –
– Emily Dickinson

This week we were very lucky as a staff to have a Teacher Appreciation Week where the students all showed us how much they appreciate us. How edifying.

However, we often don’t take the time to say to the students how much we appreciate them.

Teachers come to teaching at different points in their lives and from different contexts, but if you speak with them for long enough, especially to the ones who have been in the profession for long periods of time, a common thread will emerge…

Prior to going back to university, I contacted my old English teacher to see if I could do a trial lesson at my old high school. She assented with good grace.

They were starting Emily Dickinson and I got to do the introduction. The 45 minutes passed by in a blur, I had so much fun. My old teacher said ‘You’re a natural!”

And I had it. I had found my passion.

I love literature – ask any of my classes and they will tell you. Every text is my ‘favourite’ text!

But I have come to realise more and more as I get older, that it is more than ‘just’ my subject. What actually makes teaching so worthwhile and rewarding is the students.

Your children.

One can find it hard to be an optimist, especially in the face of an increasingly complex and over-shadowed world. However, a lot of teachers are. The reason is because we get to work with young people every day. They are our hope.

They are pure potential and full of the ‘becoming’ that radiates from them like an inner fire. Of course, they will suffer some setbacks and the world will attempt to douse that fire. But they are remarkably resilient and so represent hope.

We want to say thanks to your daughters.

We appreciate them.

They are the reason we can bounce/drag ourselves out of the bed each morning.

It is their smiling faces that keep us going.

It is their enthusiasm that enthuses us.

So, thank you, Year 12.

Last week in Luminary groups we had a mature discussion of some of the issues around consent and how it is reported in the media. We discussed misogynistic language, how this can be perpetuated, even amongst girls, and how we could combat that through some consideration of our own words. We also discussed how to negotiate consent.

On Thursday we looked at how to manage feelings of negativity associated with the news and the daily reports that perennially circle around our newsfeeds.

Next week, we will explore the dangers and opportunities of navigating the Digital Environment with John Clear, Director of e-Learning. This will be followed up with an Academic Care talk by Chris Barnes, Assistant Head of Senior School – Academic Care and Administration

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your daughter’s wellbeing.

– Sarah Tynan, Assistant Head of Senior School – Pastoral Care and Wellbeing, Head of Year 12
– David O’Donohue, Assistant Head of Year 12