Minerva Learning Trust
30th April 2018

Three things...

Mr B Lacey, Assistant Headteacher

Last week I had the joy of going into all of the lower school House Assemblies to introduce myself as the new Assistant Headteacher at High Storrs. I shared with them three things that I have always strongly believed as a teacher. Here they are (Just in case your child hasn’t memorised them and shared them with you!)...

Firstly: every student has gifts and talents.

It is important to know, or at least be in the process of discovering, what gifts our students have. As teachers, parents and carers, we have an important role in this discovery. Generic comments such as ‘You’re great’ or ‘You were a star today’ give students a warm glow, but specific comments (‘You are really good at listening’ or ‘You have repeatedly failed to give up – that shows real commitment’) help students to recognise their gifts. Talents are wide and varied. As well as particular subjects, students may be gifted in speaking, listening, caring, persevering, thinking rationally, being creative etc. Students who can say what gifts they have, can make better choices about their future, as well as improving their own self-worth. I also encouraged the students to use their gifts not just for their own good, but for the good of others.

Secondly: it’s never too late to change.

The great thinker, Socrates, said ‘The secret to change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new’. So often I see students (and us adults) talking about what they don’t want to do, rather than what they do want to do. It is so easy for students to beat themselves up about what they failed to do, or what they did wrong in the past, that they become paralysed or just give up trying to change. Instead, we need to encourage our students to focus on what they want to do in the future. We have a focus on punctuality, both to school and lessons. Just because a child has poor punctuality for the past few weeks, or months, does not mean that they should continue to follow in this habit. Let’s challenge our students that they have the power to change (and it’s never too late).

Thirdly: we are all of great value and worth.

I read an article the other day that said 70% of teenagers using Instagram and Snapchat reported that these apps made them feel less valuable. I think this is because it is so easy to forget that we are intrinsically valuable. The apps themselves do not make us feel less valuable. Instead, it is when we look to them to determine our worth. Instead, we need to remind students that they are of value irrespective of their appearance, background, natural abilities and achievements. Telling students that they matter (even when they disappoint us) is important, and modelling how to treat others as of worth, is one of the most important lessons we can teach to our children.

I commend these values to you!

I have really enjoyed the last two weeks getting to know this community and it strikes me as a place where staff have high expectations of the students and themselves. I am looking forward to meeting more of the staff team, children and wider community in the coming months. If you see me around, do say hello!