Natural talent or

just plain hard work, persistence and self belief?

One of the greatest difficulties that teachers face is changing the attitudes of young people who have little or no self belief. When the default setting is "I can't" it is often difficult to remember what it feels like to be bewildered, faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, not knowing the answer and not being able to envisage ever knowing it.

School IS about learning, but it is not solely the taught curriculum that is important. It is the invisible, the hidden, the implicit and intrinsic. It is about our unspoken messages, our continued belief in the potential and what has yet to be achieved. It is our actions and our deeds, as well as our words. It is about forgiveness, clean slates, start again, move forward and sometimes simple blind faith.

It was Certificate Evening for our ex Year 11 and current students. A showcase of talent and evidence of persistence, commitment and downright hard work. Great to see former students, who seem to have changed so much in just the 5 short months since they left us. Joy to see our current students perform with grace and commitment and receive well earned accolades for their ongoing efforts.

Most importantly, a reminder for me of how important our role is and that all the external influences and political jiggery pokery about education are actually of little relevance - our students are evidence enough that we know what we are doing and that we are invested in their success.