News from Mr Grady
Hello Everyone!
This week we have been putting together a “Virtual Open Evening” for our prospective year 4 and 5 students. As you can imagine, we can’t throw the school open in the usual way, and so we are hoping to offer our prospective RHS students the chance to get a flavour of the school through a variety of videos and online material.
It is always a joy preparing for any sort of event like this, as our students, our best advocates, always rise to the occasion. We pride ourselves on never writing speeches and giving them to students for these events, but in encouraging the students to talk about their RHS experiences in their own words. They consistently amaze me in their erudition and honesty about what it means to them to be an RHS student.
Obviously students talk about the kind, caring atmosphere, our positive approach and the fact that you can “be yourself” and just get on with learning.” But every year, either in their speeches, or in the presentation of those speeches a student will surprise me.
This year was no exception. Yesterday, I was outside the Acorn Block, under an oak tree giving my “welcome from the head teacher” to camera to go on the website. Watching it back I was struck by several things: My voice always sounds higher than I think it is; I could have been stricter with the iron on the shirt that I’d chosen to wear; and, my goodness, but I wave my hands about when I talk. What is the line between emphatic gestures, underlining the point you’re trying to make and “this man is clearly unhinged, and needs to get a grip?”
I then had the good fortune to see an early take of our Head-Girl’s piece to camera, and was struck by her calm, measured and confident delivery. Her stillness, and the self-assurance and maturity she displayed. It is delightful that our school supports students to develop such wonderful skills, and it is great to see another student able to talk with such passion about why RHS has been so important in her journey from Year 7 to 13.
The difference between our pieces was stark: On one side a leader of calm dignity and mature self-assurance, and on the other, a leader flapping their hands about as if being attacked by several wasps at once.
The camera never lies I’m told, so I’m off to work on my calm dignity, at the same time as finding an iron…
Stay well and safe everyone!
Mr Grady