Trust is the glue of life
“Trust is the glue of life.”
(Stephen Covey)
Trust lies at the heart of all our relationships, between individuals in both family and school, and between home and school as we share the values which underpin our children’s upbringing and education.
As with respect, trust is not a given but must be earned by both parties and can sadly be easily lost. Breaches of trust will normally require considerable restoration: atonement on the part of the trust-breaker and a belief in redemption on the part of the person whose trust has been betrayed.
We all like to believe we can trust our children, but that trust can sometimes be put to the test or undermined as they grow up and begin to make their own choices. Making the appropriate choice is not always straightforward in a society where youngsters can be encouraged to do their own thing and to make decisions based on what seems right at the time or because others are doing it. Such an approach rarely takes full account of the potential consequences, both for the individual and for those around them.
Your guidance as a parent and our guidance as teachers remains vital; it can sometimes be superficially ignored or rebuffed, yet our children are often listening more than we think! So, as they grow up, please continue to give them parameters, consider carefully how you can give them more freedom and independence, and talk through how they can assess and manage risk. More and more, we can then trust them to behave in ways of which they can be proud and which contribute to the happiness and safety of others.
Best wishes,
John Watson
Headmaster