A Message from the Rector

By Richard Hall | Posted: Wednesday August 5, 2020

This week, prefect Ahmad Diwan spoke to the school about an important value - gratitude. Ahmad, who has come to us from Syria, left school at 13 to work in a factory. This was not by his or his whanau's choice but through the unrest created by the civil war.

It got me thinking about how powerful a simple thank you can be and how often we do actually hear it in our school. That's right, for once I am not saying our boys need to do it more, rather I am acknowledging the fact that they do do it!

I know this is because they have been well raised by whanau who believe in doing the small things well. But I wonder if it is automatic or if it is rehearsed sometimes. And do we all understand the real power of a thank you?

I was once told by a staff member who had taken a sports team for the season, 'I've had lots of thank yous - pay me more!' Good luck with that. But I wonder if those thank yous were actually genuine in nature or more formulaic, and if we all learn to give a good thank you, will we all be better?

Of course Ahmad's speech was not about thank you, it was about being grateful. Understanding what you have and being grateful for those who have provided it or those who have supported it.

We can always want more. Most of the country has their fingers crossed to win $38 million! While that would bring an immense amount of relief from the pressure of bills, from what I have read, it brings a whole world of other pressures.

For me, rather than crossing my fingers and toes, I will just think of things I can be truly grateful for:

1. I lead a good school, working hard to be great.

2. I work with staff who do go the extra mile, even if all I can give them sometimes is a 'Thank you'.

3. By and large our boys are happy to go to this school and proud to be OB's boys.

Enjoy your weekend.