Last Saturday morning I was at St. Clement’s to welcome our many Junior School applicants and their parents for our assessment morning. I urged families to ensure that they do their research carefully and go to the source when they hear things about the Schools to which they are applying. We know that families will be investing a significant amount to have their daughters at our School, and it is important that they understand the School’s values, culture and mission. I indicated that St. Clement’s believes that we work in partnership with our families to raise their girls and develop them into intellectually curious, courageous and compassionate women and that we each have our part to play. It is our expectation that parents support our School’s approach to guiding girls to be risk-takers in their learning and to allow them to struggle and stumble such that they will grow. Without this support our educational experts – the faculty- are challenged to do their jobs.
Just the day before, at a staff appreciation lunch held by our Parents’ Association, I was heartened to hear the President, Carole Matear, thank our faculty and share the quotation, “Teachers who inspire realize there will always be rocks in the road ahead of us. They will be stumbling blocks or stepping stones; it all depends on how we use them”.
What a wonderful message- and one that I think can also include parents. With both parents and faculty aligned in acknowledging that our role is not to move the rocks in the road but to teach that they can be stepping stones, we will surely encourage our girls to grow.
