Dear Parents,
Strange atmosphere around the school this week with no boys from Years 6 to 8. They have been living their best lives on residentials it seems, judging by the photos coming through on the WhatsApp feeds, and it has allowed the younger boys to effectively have the run of the place. Prospective parents often ask me what it is that defines The Beacon as a school and what differentiates it from others in the local area. We play each other at sport, try and get the boys into the same senior destinations, many colleagues have worked in similar schools, have more or less the same values etc, so it could be a difficult question to answer. What I always fall back on though, is the difference it makes to the general atmosphere of the school with so many older boys here. The twelve and thirteen year olds carry themselves with a maturity and presence that the younger ones look up to and model their behaviour on, acting as a calming and reassuring influence on the entire pupil population. Without the ‘big boys’ the younger ones have been a little giddier…still charming and playful of course, but you can tell they miss them and that they will be more settled when everyone is back together again on Monday.
As I said to a dad yesterday, I too will be delighted to have everyone back on Monday and under the same Beacon ‘roof’. I can’t think it used to be like this but with modern technology we want and expect to be able to track and account for everyone all of the time and if we can’t, the default is to worry. I trust the professionalism and care of my colleagues completely, but it still assuages my anxiety to see the pictures and regular updates of the boys safe and well on their residentials; modern technology brings many positives but often it has tried to solve problems that were never problems in the first place. I can now track Patrick and Joseph’s every move but with Patrick now 19, it does feel as if I’m invading his privacy somewhat and I am trying to wean myself off plotting his every move. On his side though, he still likes to touch base every day. Not with a long chatty message…he is a 19 year old boy of course, that would be unnatural…but he will send me the time he has recorded on the ‘Mini Crossword’ from the New York Times and whether or not he completed ‘Strands’ without needing any ‘hints’. This is all perfectly healthy, though he did think I was subliminally digitally stalking him with one of the games a few weeks ago. This will only make sense if you’re familiar with the game, but by strange coincidence my name appeared as a Baker Family ‘Easter Egg’ in the Strand that day (see image below)…spooky!
Have a good weekend and look forward to being in your company at the Ball tomorrow – see you on the dance floor!
Nick Baker