Principal's Pen

At Hampden Street School we ask our students to “Reach for the Stars!” We want them to strive for their very best, seek opportunities and recognise and celebrate their strengths. As a school we celebrate success through our end of term HSS Excellence Awards, our weekly class and Principal Awards and the prestigious Star Achievers.

It is important students recognise their strengths and are proud of who they are and what they achieve. However, in society, too often the ‘Tall Poppy’ is cut down and called arrogant, over-confident or ‘full of themselves’. For some people, this attitude is enough to ensure they never get a chance to shine.

I recently attended a talk from Gilbert Enoka, All Black mental coach, and he finished his address with this poem. I think this sends a wonderful message about being all you can be and “Reaching for the Stars!”

(Extract from…) Our Deepest Fear
By Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of our world

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

It is our role, as teachers and parents, to help our children recognise and celebrate their strengths. Unfortunately, throughout their years in education, students will often find their success mainly measured in their achievement academically. Other strengths are often overlooked, and, for students who are not academically minded, these can lead to feelings of failure. Although it is vitally important students reach and maintain a certain level of academic achievement we can not neglect those personal qualities and strengths that make them unique. It’s these things that form the individual. Creativity is something we foster and encourage in our students at our school. Our focus on thinking skills and Inquiry Learning allows children to direct their learning, and actively engage in class programmes.

In 2006 Sir Ken Robinson, a British educationalist made an amazing speech at an Educational conference in the UK on creativity: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html  This speech highlights the need to recognise creativity in schools and its importance in our changing world.

Education is a partnership and as teachers and parents we must work to together so that our children can always “Reach for the Stars!”

Ka Kite

Don McLean

Principal