Rectors eNews – 24 January 2024

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The start of the year is an exciting time for the boys and their make up embodies a combination of hope and trepidation, enthusiasm and expectation. Who will their teachers be? What will the dorm arrangements be? What team will they be in? Who will be coaching them? What will their friends be doing? They are all progressing from B Block to A Block or E Block to D Block or from their prep schools to Michaelhouse. The boys were all slightly out of their comfort zone when they started last week but are now beginning to get into their stride and are eager to grasp the opportunities before them in typical Michaelhouse fashion.

The results of the 2023 matriculants were announced at the end of last week and we will focus on the academic successes later in this eNews. At our assembly last week we spoke of how academic success comes about: it entails consistent application and dedication, but also a pupil taking the initiative and wrestling intellectually with academic problems outside of the classroom and prep. An independence of thought and the ability to engage in issues falling outside the scope of the standard syllabus adds significantly to the prospect of success in this realm.

In this and other areas, I encouraged the boys to be what I call “realistically ambitious”, to set goals for themselves that are attainable but only by moving outside their comfort zone. This encouragement is relevant to academic pursuits but also to other areas in which they are involved.

Determination, resilience and bounce-back are critical to success: often one has to keep commitment levels up even through patches when one is struggling to make progress.

Problem solving capacity is a feature of people who go far in life and it is an important part of the makeup of successful teenagers. In the formative years of a child most problems are solved by adults, but as teenagers move to adulthood they have to begin to deal with many more matters themselves. It is important for them to know, however, that there is no problem that cannot be solved and that they need to establish who the best person is to help them to do so. In the school context, it could be a friend, prefect, tutor, school counsellor, Housemaster or any other number of people. My message was that we are here to help, but they should first look to themselves: if it is an academic problem, for example, have they gone over their notes sufficiently carefully? If it is an issue of relationships in the House, have they been sufficiently self-aware of their approach to others? If it is a sporting issue, have they worked hard enough to expect to fulfil their goals?

I also encouraged the boys to demonstrate respect for others in their House, their team and in their dorms, as well as in the wider community, to contribute to the lives of others, to engage positively, to care, to be kind. The happiest boys are those who are conscious of the impact they can make on others and do so in a way that is meaningful and enhances the well-being of their peers, juniors, seniors and others in the community.

However, nothing can be achieved without discipline and I emphasised what an important attribute this is in the lives of successful people: an athlete, or musician or academic who achieves high standards has to be consistently disciplined if he/she is to achieve. I went on to say that breaking rules, especially the more important rules, inevitably has consequences. None of us wishes boys to lose their place at Michaelhouse, but it is regrettable that last year 13 boys lost their places through ill-discipline, and I emphasised that boys have a responsibility to themselves and their families not to put themselves in a position where this could happen to them; it causes heartache to their parents, families and friends. As part of our procedure, the boys have to reflect on the rules and regulations which are either sent to them electronically or are given to them in print and sign to acknowledge that they have read and understood them. We will address (or have already done this) specific rules with them in assemblies or in their Blocks.

So I hope that your sons will have set out to make 2024 a rewarding and fulfilling year and a year in which they grow spiritually, intellectually, physically, culturally and in their association with others. I trust that they will realise the privilege that they have in coming to Michaelhouse not only because of its beautiful surrounds and facilities but also because of the intent of the school to bring out the best in them.

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