FROM THE HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

Aim for excellence, not perfection. If failure is the result, remember it's okay to have a laugh at yourself, and to remember that some of the best stories you hear begin in failure. The Scotch community is great because it allows us to risk failure in a relatively safe environment. … The falls you have are some of the best times you will have at school.

Tom Wilson, School Vice-Captain

At a recent assembly, Brad Roberts, Captain of Music shared his experiences of performing on stage. He spoke of being terrified before singing to an audience and having a "stomach exploding with butterflies". As he shared some of his personal stories, including a recent audition for the television show X Factor, we all related to his feelings of nervousness and anticipation. What inspired many of us in the audience was despite these normal feelings of self-doubt and trepidation, Brad steps out onto the stage anyway and gives it his best shot. His message was to have a go. Brad told us not to worry that you may fail, you are doing better than the person sitting next to you who is not even trying. After sharing some of his experiences, Brad then picked up his guitar and sang to the Senior School, an audience of over 1000 people. The long and loud applause at the end said it all.

Lessons such as the one shared with us from Brad Roberts are well known. Many of us understand the importance of having a go, trying something new and making mistakes. Mistakes provide direction and opportunities for improvement. How else will we know what we need to learn? Despite the importance of mistakes, students, and adults, may find it difficult to accept errors as a positive step in the learning process. It can be hard not to perceive comments about our work as being comments about us. We need to let our boys know it's okay to make mistakes. Young people, now more than ever, are less likely to take risks for fear of making a mistake. Many are growing up in an environment where the risk of harm, disappointment or failure is avoided or eliminated. We need to counter society's aversion to risk of failure by planning and creating learning environments where it's okay to try new things, take risks and reflect on mistakes.

Dr Rob McEwan

Head of Senior School