As always at the end of the month, we turn to our Headteacher Gemma for some words of wisdom. At the start of the new year, a new term and the beginning of our time in our new building, she’d like to talk to us this month about making an impact.
Why making an impact?
As an avid biologist I was one of the millions of viewers of the Blue Planet II series. It was with great pleasure that I watched the production team receive a special Impact award at the National Television awards. It was an award for raising awareness. Awareness of the deadly plastic pollution that is killing marine life and awareness of the disruption to ecosystems in the world’s oceans.
The impact of this series, that took five years of dedication to put together, reached the UK government. Recent proposals aim to make household recycling easier and to introduce refundable deposits on plastic bottles. The Blue Planet series has also had an impact overseas as it is broadcast to several countries worldwide.
David Attenborough, who many see as the face of BBC wildlife programmes, narrated this series. Originally from Leicestershire, he has had a huge impact on many people across generations as he has brought the wonders of natural life to our homes. He is a household name and yet had a very modest start to life.
How does this affect Spark?
As we are already a month into this new year, it is probably a good time to reassess what we would like to achieve from this year. What impact do we want to make? It might be as simple as taking a reusable cup to the takeaway coffee shop. It could be as simple as refusing the plastic straw for your soft drink.
As teachers, we enter the profession because we want to make an impact on a young person’s life. We might even giving back to the community that gave to us during our educational years.
Seeing students get the ‘lightbulb’ moment, when a concept they have been struggling to grasp suddenly makes sense, is most rewarding. Or when interest is sparked in a topic that makes students inquisitive and leads to a dozen or so questions, making both ourselves and the students become animated about learning and discussing a topic.
That is at the forefront of our mission here at Spark, to make an impact and to encourage others to do the same.
So, what impact would you like to make this year? Comment below to let us know!