As TS Elliot said, ‘Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.’ This rings true, from the talent illustrated at our Poetry recital last Friday. The forms, themes, meaning, humour, rhythms and rhymes explored by the children in such detail, were moving at times. They were a pleasure to listen to. Over the last few weeks, nearly every child in the main school has learnt and recited a poem in front of their class. Last week’s final was a competition – sometimes in life we face competitions, learning to win and lose are equally important. As parents and
educators, we need to give our children the opportunities to feel and experience both. In the famous words of Winston Churchill, ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’ It is for these very reasons that school’s balance the need for competition alongside non-competitive events.
