Blog
Expecting the unexpected
As this blog is published, we will be welcoming our whole community back to school again. We haven't been closed as such, but nor have we been open in the usual way; lessons haven't been cancelled, but nor have they been quite 'business as usual.'
Have we become masters at expecting the unexpected? What does that even mean? That nothing will surprise us again? I'm inclined to think that would be a loss, for there are undoubtedly good, happy, surprises that we would be sorry to lose.
- Unanticipated birthday parties.
- Bumping into an old friend without warning.
- A phone call coming out of the blue.
- A last-minute twist in the plot of a great book or film.
- A wonderful discovery as a result of a wrong turn (whether that be literal or metaphorical).
All of which would be a shame to lose; we don't always want to expect the unexpected - sometimes ignorance does us no harm and it even heightens our eventual enjoyment. Are there certain 'unexpecteds' that we would do well to anticipate?
Yes, probably. As a school leader, I will likely never experience the same sensation of certainty around aspects of school life such as exams - and I suspect many of our young people will be the same. That can only help us be more prepared.
I will probably always view the notion of temporary school closure (once seen as the only inevitable outcome of a 'snow day') as a mere switch to online provision (although I truly hope that Covid-19 won't cause any further interruption of this kind).
I will take with me the feeling of resilience that's required to implement new advice and guidance at short notice and, along with it, a knowledge of how that feels - as a frame of reference for the next time I find myself amid such change, uncertainty and anxiety.
But let's not use 'expecting the unexpected' as an excuse to be gloomy. Let's not presume we shall immediately launch ourselves into a fourth lockdown. We will learn from this, but we won't let our past experiences stifle our future goals, because surely we now value a little more of what we once took for granted?
After all, one of the biggest take-aways from the last twelve months is that 'we did not see that coming!'
