Headmaster’s Weekly Comment

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

                                                Matthew 5:48

One of the pieces of sage advice that Leon MacLaren, the founder of the school, gave us was always to begin with the Absolute. 

So when we consider any aspect of the school, any plans we have to implement, any child who needs some form of correction, we start by articulating the ideal outcome, the perfect solution, the model result.

Having done this we then see clearly if, and to what extent, there is a shortfall from this ideal.  Practical steps then reveal themselves, which can be taken to close the gap between what we have, and what we want.  The staff have been conscientiously implementing this, with encouraging results.

 At first blush it may seem pretty obvious to go about things this way; but we found, initially, that it was a bit counter-intuitive.  This is because we are often beguiled by the problem, the difficulty or the mistake.  Our attention goes to the few talkative children when the majority of the class is still and attentive; we focus on the few things that go wrong in an otherwise well-organised event; we fret about a few disgruntled people when the overwhelming (and usually silent) majority are happy and supportive.

 This doesn t mean the chatty children shouldn t be quiet, that future events wouldn t benefit from a post-mortem, or that peoples concerns shouldn t be given full respect and attention.  Merely that the most efficient and stress free way of responding is to have a picture of the best the Absolute clearly in view.

Note:  I ll be away for a few weeks.  I have been invited to present a paper on school funding at a conference in UK.  Mrs McKendrick and Mrs Donald will constitute the steady hand on the tiller in my absence.  See you all soon.

In the meantime could I beg you all to be very considerate of our neighbours when driving, parking and dropping off or picking up the children.   Thank you.