Principal's Blog
2020 Term 1
Playing in the Rain
I write on a Friday night, the beginning of our Labour Day long weekend, and I’ve just finished a great week at school. My weeks at the moment include a combined sport class with the Normanby and Brunswick Street Biggies on Thursday and Friday afternoon – we have a run and then play some netball, cricket and soccer.
Yesterday we ran in the rain, while today the rain arrived a little while after we finished our run. Be it drizzle, shower, or downpour, running in the rain is an uplifting experience for me. Watching the children, it appears they feel similarly. I don’t think it was my joy that has rubbed off on the children yesterday – they too appear to embrace the wet, and in so doing, gain an energized sense of adventure. They appear to share my joy of being in the elements, of this tactile, sensory experience.
At the end of the run today, before the rain arrived, we broke into netball, cricket and soccer. A few minutes later, it began to drizzle, and as the rain slowly grew in intensity, the cricket and netball were abandoned. Those children were given the choice to head back to school for some extra free time, or join the game of soccer. Most opted for soccer, running through the now significant downpour and onto the field, joining the game in progress.
Watching the game – watching the children chase and turn and kick in the rain, full of life and energy – was a life-affirming and joyful experience. Sergi (a Brunswick Street dad) and Stefan (a former student and assistant) were part of this game, equally enthused and enthusing, sharing in the energy, joy and spirit of the Biggies; matching them in happy camaraderie. There were a few more slips than usual, a few more tumbles, but these were greeted with a laugh and cheer, adding to rather than detracting from the game. A little while later the clouds parted and the sun emerged, appearing to add Nature’s quiet affirmation to the unquenchable esprit de joie of the children – affirming their energetic, happy appreciation of her offerings, engaging with the wet dampness for the life it brings, rather than retreating from it, or using it as an excuse to stop or give-up.
I love being part of a community where a downpour is embraced, and where we meet the arrival of a shower as part of life’s great adventure, seeing it as an opportunity for fun. I love being part of a community where life-affirming fun and extra-curricular activities are not conditional upon perfect weather, and where rain is welcomed for the additional fun that it brings. The children naturally, organically understand this, they feel this, and when left alone, they celebrate the elements. I see our role as educators to similarly embrace and share their energy and enthusiasm, and so to reject the position that inclement weather or less-than-perfect conditions are reasons to give up and go home. It is a constant joy to be part of a community that understands this, and lives it.
Timothy Berryman (Principal)