Daily Maverick’s, Burn after Reading newsletter in association with The Reading List caught my attention last week with the following introduction:

The novelist Ian McEwan, talking about his new book said, with the world falling apart around us, what is a writer to do, he asked? “There is only one answer: write.”

The cognate for those of us on the other side of the coin is – “read”. It seems like the right kind of magic that is needed for our times: reader, meet writers on the page and change the world.

Reading opens our minds and our hearts. It gives us access to people’s stories, to places and it helps us to make sense of the world around us. An exploration and understanding of our planet, our environment and even of ourselves is greatly enhanced if we have literacy and numeracy skills. This is the true gift of education.

As we prepared this week for our annual prizegiving, I found myself reflecting on the core value of what we do at St Mary’s. The daily routine of school, which includes lessons, assignments and assessments, is often the barrier to experiencing and reflecting on the sheer joy of education. I fear that, with our attention firmly set on the outcome of school, we forget to teach our children simply to enjoy and revel in their learning, which should unlock potential and present possibility. Let this be the message for our children: each of us has a unique journey of learning and it is so much more than marks and awards; it is a magical and never-ending experience of discovery.

Deanne King
Head of school