Inner Beauty and Character
In the 2018 film Mary Queen of Scots, there is a scene in which Mary meets Elizabeth to plead for an end to the fighting so that they can unite as ‘sisters’ in a man’s world. But this was wrong. In reality, the cousins never met.
The movie Titanic got things wrong too. Kate Winslet’s character Rose utters, “So, this is the ship they say is unsinkable.” But there was never a claim that the ship was unsinkable. It has grown from fiction. And what about Gladiator. Even though historians were consulted, Commodus’ killing in the gladiator arena by Maximus was false. He was actually murdered in the bath by a professional wrestler named Narcissus.
Distortion of reality is not confined to historical films; it is happening in other areas of life too, more alarmingly. The media’s portrayal of body image, for instance, is shown to have a negative impact on self-esteem and the way people feel about their bodies. Often through computer generated touch-ups here and there, the image shown is not a representation of reality and, worse, it is not biologically attainable to the vast majority of the population. This is causing some serious issues.
Research in the US showed that around 25% of male adolescents were concerned about their muscularity and leanness. For girls, 50% of 13 year olds reported an unhappiness with the way they looked and that rose to 80% for seventeen year olds. In a European-wide survey, body image was near the top of the concerns listed by teenage girls.
So what can we do to support? Well, talking about image, as we have been doing in school this week, and addressing the creation of untruths, is a start. The focus needs to be on inner beauty and character, not what is on the outside. Children need to appreciate that it is normal to have insecurities about one’s body at times and so they must be encouraged to focus on the positives of their life and look, not the negatives. In other words, body confidence does not come from trying to achieve the perfect body; it comes from embracing the body one has got.
In reality, it can take time to build one’s self-esteem but confidence is like a muscle and it can develop with practice and attention. Setting attainable short-term goals is needed initially. Focusing on character and attitude rather than outer appearance is essential and one must steer away from comparisons to others. It is ok to dress smartly and make an effort with one’s appearance but, again, the clothes themselves are only an outer representation. What really matters is the inner beauty of an individual’s mind and character and that is what we are trying to focus on here at St Andrew’s.
A more accurate appreciation of history was achieved by Year 2 pupils yesterday when they visited Lewes Castle. Amazingly it was the first school trip for any year group this academic year! Dodging rain clouds, the children climbed to the top of the Norman castle for stunning views across Sussex and Brack Mount. They saw historical artefacts and learnt a lot about this important local piece of history.
Monday had a distinctly ‘September start of term’ feel about it as we began the week with slightly more relaxed rules following the latest government announcement last week. We are still being cautious but masks are now worn in communal areas only, we have made adjustments to the lunch routine and pupils are moving to different classrooms more which is enhancing their daily academic experience. Fingers crossed this positive trajectory towards even more liberation on 21 June continues.
Last night I enjoyed another lovely Richardson Recital. Streamed live from the Richardson building itself, twelve pupils ranging from Year 2 to Year 8 performed their pieces on a variety of instruments including the flute, guitar, drums, piano, viola, violin and voice. With genres stretching from classical to pop via stage musical and jazz, it was a delightfully melodious 35 minutes of escapism.
Next week many of the children in the Prep school will be sitting assessments and I am aware that some are a little anxious about the prospect. Please rest assured we are playing this down. We are not a school that is exam focused but formal assessments are a necessary part of education at times and are useful markers in the progress of each child alongside other forms of assessment, including presentations and projects. Teachers observe pupils throughout the year and so the results of these exams will be used proportionately alongside other data and information built up over the year. Good luck to everyone next week.
Activities are on tomorrow morning. Have a good weekend everyone!