Invicta Vlogs
Facing Choices
As a parent, I have asked my children the question, “What do you want to do?”, many times in their lives, and occasionally in exasperation! Dependant on the situation, their most common answers are, “eat sweets” or “I don’t know…”. Being asked to make a choice is something we all face frequently. This can create a sense of excitement for some, or anxiety for others. Some choices seem simple; we can make them without thinking about it, whereas other choices can spark long debates and deep thought.
This term, one of my daughters reached the milestone of choosing her secondary school; her choice interestingly echoes the time in life faced by our Year 13 students who have been completing their UCAS applications for their choice of University. Both are in this situation, due to having a solid foundation that was created through hard work overtime. Choosing a school or university requires a lot of research, so that we can make informed choices; research that allows us to expand the possibilities of what could be achieved. Many students make their choices on where to apply well before application deadlines and once the choices are made, the impact of this continues to be felt, for example, our Oxbridge and Medicine candidates spend time building portfolios of volunteering and work experience to maximise their chances of success. For my daughter, there was the preparation required for the Kent Test, and for Year 13, they are now facing preparation for their summer exams.
As a school community, we face smaller choices on a daily basis, most notably, we have adapted to the different ways of working during the first term. The way that we have all adapted to the different systems that enable our school life to continue is a testament to the determination and sense of social understanding within the school. Like our Year 13 students, the choices we make continue to have an impact, from making sure we wipe down the tables at the end of each lesson to following the one-way system around our school; choosing to follow these systems minimises the risks to ourselves and those we work with each day, highlighting the impact of choices yet again.
In terms of the COVID – 19 crisis, the regular news reports on the situation from across the country can seem like a negative message. However, I believe it is important to remember the positive stories that have emerged during this time. Let us take this time to remember the significant work by Captain Tom and Stuart McLellan, who have been reported in the national news for their charitable works. Let us also remember our achievements, raising the fantastic amount of over £2475.50 for Macmillan. These positive moments all come from people making choices that have had, and will continue to have, a positive impact on others.
Whilst we may be in a lower alert level than other parts of the country at this time, it is important that we recognise the small choices we make now will have a big impact on how the situation develops over the next year. Maintaining awareness and taking care to wash our hands regularly, wearing our face masks, and maintaining space, will ensure that we can continue to protect the most vulnerable members of our society.
I hope you have a restful Half Term and look forward to coming back to school. As we move into the next term, I challenge you to think about the positive impact your choices can have, and ask you the question I ask my children many times, what do you want to do?
Mr Lillicrap
Head of Sixth Form
