Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
I often say to the boys that schools, if truly rooted in education, are places where everyone learns; this includes teachers and, perhaps especially, the Headmaster! Looking back at my time as a history teacher, my interaction with pupils in lessons enabled perspectives and an understanding of the past that was fresh and invigorating. I became a better teacher of history (at least I hope I did) because of the pupils. The opening of a nursery at St Anthony’s is wonderful and humbling in equal measure. Spread between two classes are thirty children at the start of their educational careers, indeed almost at the start of their lives, whose wonderment at everything around them is nothing short of awesome. Of course the nursery children are subject to a taught curriculum but whenever I walk into the rooms (and I do so very often) it seems so obvious that something much more profound is taking place; something that the ‘Seven areas of development and learning in the Early Years’ could not even begin to codify.
The nursery pupils display an almost insatiable desire to learn and remain receptive to all sorts of ideas and experiences. Their authenticity is their most obvious trait. There is a sincerity to their relationships whether that is formed with one another or their teachers. They appreciate and wonder at the beauty of art and music and channel their feelings through these idioms. Physical movement provides a release of energy as well as endorphins. The foundations laid in the nursery not only help in the preparation of ‘big school’ but also shape character – a willingness to learn alongside others, to take risks and to be comfortable in one’s skin. In nurturing these tiny tots we, the adults, can’t help but reflect on whether the values we seek to impart have come to fruition in our own lives? In a school dedicated to Christ and His Gospel it seems apposite that the smallest in this community teach the most important lessons.
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