Friday Flyer - 15th May 2026
Dear Michael Hall Community,
I would like to start my contribution to this weeks Friday Flyer with a thanks. Thank you to the volunteers who are supporting the pupils and the school in the GCSE and A’ Level examinations. These are stressful times for our pupils and seeing familiar and calm adults around them adds a layer of confidence to the pupils.
I spoke last week about managing expectations of ourselves and those around us, which without losing aspirations and expectations, reduces angst and tensions in relationships. This week I would like to look at another aspect of this, and that is the beauty of imperfection – thank you Rachel as the source for inspiration.
When reading or listening to a piece of Steiner work, I would suggest that there is always the element of a journey rather than a destination reached. This is true whether addressing the spiritual or the educational. If living and learning were linear, predictions and outcomes would be simple; REALLY boring, but simple. There is something universal about making mistakes, sometimes making them again, and maybe again, but then coming through that with something truly transformational and permanent as an outcome.
If we look at our curriculum which has a framework to guide us, but allows for the personality, passion and knowledge of a teacher to bring the learning out from the children. It is not linear.
Our main lessons are in blocks, weeks of focused and engaged effort to allow for error, practice, engagement and learning. Not linear.
Add to this the famous (well it is if you had my university lecturer) Hermann Ebbinghaus forgetting curve which seeks to identify how quickly we forget things that are not either deeply embedded, or are not revisited. I grew up partly in Spain. I spoke Spanish fluently in a local school. I excelled in the exams, outperforming native speakers. I was12 and am now 50, and have not revisited the language often enough to be fluent. I forgot the less common vocabulary, grammar rules and verb tenses. My forgetting was a curve, not linear.
Learning is a journey. Teaching is a journey. Parenting is a journey. We have all agreed to take this curvy, non linear and often complicated journey together. Within this strong triangle of the child, the parents and the teacher (or school) is a commitment to the very best we can all do. Sometimes it will go wrong and one third of the triangle will need support, time or/and guidance to bring things back into balance. This is not linear as recoveries never are. Below is one of my favourite teacher memes which kind of summarises both last week and this Friday Flyer contribution; pure intention, lifelike outcome!
The intention and will is there for the entire journey from Early Childhood to Class 12. It will be imperfect. It will not be linear. With triangular trust in the intent and processes, support to recover from any mistakes or misjudgement and care, the ending will be beautiful.
Have a wonderfully imperfect weekend.
Warm wishes,
Stuart
Stuart McWilliams
Principal
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Class 8 play, Death on the Riverboat.jpg)
Talk by Lou Harvey-Zahra
Ways to Contribute
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