From the Head's Study - OPTIMISME: We live in the best of all possible worlds.
As I reflect on our Prizegiving - a celebration of all that has been achieved this year, and one that allowed us to celebrate the individuals who have marked that success who should be hugely proud of their endeavours - it is an important opportunity to recognise that every single pupil who has grown at Pocklington this year.
Every single Pocklington student has so much to be proud of, if they look back at all that they have engaged with, made an effort in, and worked at over the course of the year.
Alongside all of that achievement, what I personally have loved most this year are the moments that speak to who we are as a community, and to the quiet optimism that underpins school life. The warmth of our boarding community is key: from fireworks at the start of the year to Christmas celebrations and Lunar New Year, or indeed a typical night in the houses with activities or just hanging out together, our boarding brings people together from across the world in a shared sense of belonging.
Our pupils support and inspire one another. The new community sports days have seen the younger cheering on the older and the older encouraging the younger. We have had Sixth formers mentoring HPQ candidates and working towards directing their own theatre productions, to name but a few. And of course, our FOPs team supporting all those endeavours in such a genuine and encouraging way, with special events and those vital additions that make an event over the year.
There is a genuine culture of encouragement and shared endeavour. The Lower School play, Wind in the Willows, the collaborative energy of House events, music gala concerts, Lectern Society and Lectern Lite, and the teamwork shown on a muddy field trip or a CCF expedition. All of these reflect a community in which pupils are willing to step forward, get involved, and lift each other up. These are the moments when a school feels not just successful, but truly connected.
I have not been at a school before where the pupils truly know each other across the year groups in the same way and I walk around with a genuine smile on my face a lot of the time.
Those are the moments I have most enjoyed this year, because they remind us not just of what has been achieved, but of all that lies ahead.
Mr Tilsed has talked about change, and you have all received my letter looking ahead to September. When we think about change, and what I wanted to talk about today, is what Pocklington has given me so far. Optimism.
Optimism is an interesting concept. And, I have to be honest, it isn’t one that comes naturally to us as a nation. Bill Bailey has some rather humorous things to say about that. Our natural response, when asked how we are, is to respond that we’re “Not too bad.” The idea being that… there’s the abyss… we’re not in the abyss, we’re in the car park and snack area next to the abyss. And I think it’s partly from a self-defence mechanism - my mother has certainly been heard to comment that she always expects the worst and that way she will never be disappointed. I’d like to think she is occasionally pleasantly surprised, but I’m not sure…!
By contrast, Australia takes optimism to the next level. Again, Bill Bailey makes the comparison that when asked how they are, Australian’s will answer “Awesome”… genuinely, in a non-ironic way. “What are you doing tomorrow? Picking up rocks in the rain – it’s going to be awesome!” And living there for the time I did, a fair bit of that has rubbed off on me. If you can’t beat them, join them. Although I do recall a time relatively early on when a class I was teaching did rather well in a test, and asked me how I thought they’d done… fishing for compliments you see, which isn’t my favourite… and I responded, “Not too bad.” One raised his hand. “Out of interest, ma’am… how well would we need to do for you to be impressed?”
But actually, what I have discovered is that you can work on optimism. It’s a skill. It’s an approach to life.
Essentially, there are two extremes to the way you can live life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. You can choose! It’s just a little adjustment of perception.
Part of it is learning to be in the moment and enjoy where you are right now. It is far too easy to drift at any one time into raking over the past or planning the future, whether it’s looking forward to exciting events, or just the shopping list of what you have to do once you get home.
As you know, I love my dogs and there is something wonderfully “present” about dogs and their attitude. An image I have at home illustrates this well. There is a picture of a man sitting on a bench looking at a view, with his dog sitting next to him. Out of the man’s head is coming various thought bubbles… a holiday on a tropical island, a car, a sports match. Out of the dog’s head is coming just one thought bubble… which is the exact same picture of the man sitting looking at the view with the dog next to him. Enjoying the moment.
Something I’ve talked to the Heads of School about over the year and already started discussing with the new Heads of School, is to make sure you take those moments. Stop, pause, reflect, and drink it in at various points. Remember. Build your memory bank.
There is so much good in the world and things to appreciate if we just take the time to stop and stare.
And that appreciation drives optimism. Having a positive, “Can-do”, “Let’s take life on”, approach. I wonder if you have seen the film “Yes-man”? It is a somewhat over the top film, as all Jim Carrey’s tend to be, and it’s taken from a book written by Danny Wallace about a year of his life when he did exactly that… he said “yes” to everything, however silly. “Yes, I would like to learn to fly a plane, yes, I would like to take karate lessons, yes, I would like to learn the guitar”. It is impossible to read it and not at the very least admire his resolve. It is hilarious to observe Danny say “Yes” to an angry bloke in a club who poses the question, “Are you looking at my girlfriend?” It is, however, equally car-crash stuff. At the point where he should really be saying to himself that enough is enough, he just keeps on saying “yes”… and I’m not suggesting for a moment that we should take it to this extreme. Blind optimism is not what I’m aiming for here.
It is, however, a good thought. Are you someone who says “yes” to life, or someone who can’t quite be bothered and finds it all a bit of a bore? Do you calculate with each thing what you might get out of it before engaging, or are you happy to just give it a go and see what happens? Because you never know where the world might take you if you just embrace the opportunities, try your best, and stay optimistic and forward-looking.
The word “Optimism” comes from the Latin word optimum, meaning “The best.” It developed through the French “Optimisme” in the 18th century, popularised by philosophers, particularly Leibniz who, in the context of Enlightenment thinking developed the idea that we live in “The best of all possible worlds”, although he did not use the word optimism himself. His followers and later writers coined the term optimism to describe this belief.
Arguably the concept goes back even further, to Greek mythology and the story of Pandora. Pandora famously opened a jar she had been clearly told not to, releasing all the troubles that afflict human life: illness, sorrow, envy, hardship, and despair. Frightened, she quickly shut the jar again but too late. Looking back in the jar a single butterfly remained that then fluttered out…. Hope. Humans’ one defence against despair.
And of course, hope and optimism are deeply interconnected. Hope is the quiet belief that something is possible. Optimism is the active way we live that belief out – expecting, working towards and shaping that better future. Hope is the foundation and optimism grows from it, turning that inner belief into forward momentum. Together then, they form a powerful response to any adversity you might face. Not denying the reality of hardship, but knowing, neigh, insisting that that is not the end of the story. Far from it.
So – as we bid our Upper Sixth and other school leavers farewell, we hope they take with them the optimism that Pocklington School inspires. I hope you feel that optimism of the strong and joyful community here that I have felt since I first stepped over the threshold last August. Take a moment to bottle it and take it with you.
New places, people, and challenges await you. Take that optimism and joy with you. That “Can-do,” “Will-try” attitude, and you can’t go wrong. Or importantly, if you do…. It will be OK.
To all our wonderful pupils this year. Well done. We are incredibly proud of you all and your achievements this year. Yes, some of you have won prizes and we are here to celebrate that – fantastic congratulations to those individuals, but also – to celebrate the year we have had together and all you have all achieved, the steps along your journey you have taken, and a strong sense of optimism about all you have in store for you in the next year and going forwards.
Show courage, seek truth, and earn trust. But most importantly, make a decision here and now – to enjoy it!!
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