Inspiration by Mrs. Smith

We are all human, and we all get tired and jaded sometimes. I felt like that at the beginning of this week. It had been a busy, exhausting weekend with demands from family, worry about friends and perhaps one too many social events which, while enjoyable, allowed little time for rest.

When I’m tired, I sigh a lot. I noticed that on Sunday night: a constant exhaling, as if I wanted to get all the exhaustion out of myself. I needed filling up with something new. I needed inspiration. 

Luckily, I work at St. Helen’s College.

The word inspiration comes from the Latin verb inspirare, meaning to breathe in. It is a taking in of the new, an invigoration. When those of us who practise yoga breathe deeply, we know that we are literally changing the chemical makeup of our bodies. And that’s what inspiration does. It changes you.

I have been inspired in so many ways at St. Helen’s College this week. Speaking to prospective parents who are making that huge decision to accept Ducklings, Nursery or Reception places, I have heard them speak of their deep love for and commitment to their children and their desire to do the very best for the next generation. Their values, their humility and their courage have inspired me. 

Seeing Mr. Lewis develop a new IT system for managing our policies at school (alongside his day job), watching him tweak it and instigate a new, more efficient system in support of his colleagues and the school’s processes: this has inspired me.

Watching the staff who led the Year 4 trip to Amersham Field Centre this week, who were determined to put on an enriching and fun experience for the children, then seeing the children return, excited about their learning, enlivened by the day. That was inspiring.

Sitting at my desk and starting to proofread the children’s February reports, I took a deep breath and felt, through their written words, the teachers’ empathy, kindness and real hope for the St. Helen’s College children’s learning and progress. I read about the children’s personal qualities and how they brighten the teachers’ days. I was reminded that being around the children does that to me, too. At the same time, looking out of the window at after school football clubs, I was inspired by the dedication of those who genuinely change a child’s life in only an hour or two a week.

I was so inspired on Thursday when I visited Lower School to watch the 1C class assembly. It was themed around Roald Dahl, who was himself the most inspirational of people: not just an author but a screenwriter, a secret service spy, a wartime aircraft pilot and so much more. He believed that humour and kindness were the keys to life. As I heard the Year 1 children tell his story, I felt a fresh breath of air entering me. They sang ‘Count On Me’ by Bruno Mars as part of their assembly. Listening to them sing, I remembered that my colleagues and I made a video to that song during lockdown as a way of uniting the staff community and reminding the St. Helen’s College children and parents that, although not physically together, we were all together in spirit. I had tears in my eyes as I remembered how inspirational, although difficult, a time those Covid lockdown months were. I witnessed Mr. and Mrs. Crehan and Ms Drummond doing everything they could to lead the school successfully through that time; I saw parents take on homeschooling challenges with grace and patience; I looked after key worker children who understood that their parents were doing crucial work and that was why they were the only ones in school; I watched so many videos that pupils across the year groups made to demonstrate how their learning continued. I saw parents juggle home working, key worker roles and family management and I was so proud to see colleagues pulling together, taking on the strangest and most unfamiliar of roles and challenges. Lockdown was hard: we all saw illness and loss. But it was also an inspirational time, filled with patience, courage and hope.

We have come a long way since lockdown, but I think the important things that we have learnt from it persist. We know how important it is to take joy in the little things, how we must not take each other or our daily lives for granted. We have been reminded, too, of how crucial it is for our wellbeing to continue to inspire ourselves and others by trying new things, by being kind, and by sharing our learning, our happiness and our growth every day.

As I said, I am so lucky to work at St. Helen’s College where everyone strives tirelessly to do these things. I am so grateful to the community that inspires me on a daily basis.

I hope you have an inspirational weekend. I’ll be resting for most of this one!

Mrs. Smith