Invicta Vlogs
Learning
As we bade one another goodbye on the last day of term, a group of students and I promised one another that we would spend quality time with our families. Isn’t it what Christmas is all about – sharing time, experience, laughter or some quiet time with the people we love?
This Christmas, my children came home from their respective universities, looking even more grown-up and sounding even more wise. It was a relief that they had a term studying in the way that we envisioned study would look like – interacting in person with the collective that you are studying with. In the same way, we were grateful for the effort that our school community made to keep our school open throughout the autumn term.
After a few days of excitingly preparing for Christmas together, my daughter pointed out this was not quite a holiday for her as she had so much to study before next term. In the spirit of spending time together and sharing experiences, I decided to study a section of her course with her.
Starting to learn anything is never easy; that initial process of getting our head around new concepts, figuring out the frame of reference and learning to use the new terminology is comparable to having a new experience. You feel a little anxious about the unfamiliarity but also excited and curious about what to come.
I was not doing at all well at first, discovering many holes in my knowledge base, overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge and feeling somewhat disheartened by the slow progress. A voice in my head told me to give up and that I could stop as I was not required to learn this. However, another wise voice in my head challenged this and asked me if so many other people could learn this, why couldn’t I? This thoroughly challenged my pride and gave me the determination that I needed.
I was reminded by a story from the book Will, an autobiography by actor Will Smith, a book which became a best seller shortly after its publication in November 2021. Smith told the story of being asked by his father to build a tall wall when he was a mere child. As Smith was overwhelmed by the big task and announced that it was too much for him to do, his father advised him that he should not be thinking about the wall; instead he should focus on the bricks. The task was about laying a brick well, then move on to do the same with the next brick, and the next one. This, Smith claimed, was one of the best lessons he learned.
Indeed, by focusing on one concept at a time, I was less overwhelmed by the big challenge. Discussing what I was learning with my daughter and solving problems together helped too. I realised that learning is a very social activity. Collective learning gives us the encouragement and motivation when these run dry. We finished the section of the course on New Year’s Eve and toasted our effort as we saw 2022 in. I was overcome with pride and a wonderful sense of achievement. I quietly reminded myself that persistence always trumped everything and that it is important to challenge and quieten the unhelpful voice in my head whenever it told me to give up.
Happy New Year to everyone in our beloved school community. Have fun learning and taking on challenges this year.
Mrs V Beales
Headteacher
