Principal's Report
Striving for your Personal Best -
On the track and in the classroom
With all of our students participating in the House Athletics Carnival today it made me think about what a great sport athletics is and how it is a great metaphor for education.
More so than almost any other sport, athletics is all about continual improvement and aiming for your Personal Best. At the end of an athletics event it is not uncommon to see an athlete walking off with a big smile and high-fiving their coach even though they may have finished 7th. This is not something you see at the end of a tennis match or a game of football (even if you did give your best ever performance). In athletics the focus is narrowed to working on what you can control; which is your own effort and performance. This aligns with the mindset we try to build in our students at school. It doesn't matter how you perform compared to the others in the class, it just matters that you are able to work on your own self-improvement to achieve your personal best.
Developing sound fundamental skills before specialising is a key to success in athletics and in academic pursuits. Without correct technique, applying a huge amount of effort will never result in maximal results. At Marlborough we know that developing fundamental skills in numeracy, literacy and science build the foundation for future learning in all our students. By differentiating the curriculum and teaching each child at their point of need, we aim to ensure that students have mastered basic fundamental skills before moving on to more complex learning.
At school and in athletics there are several factors that make a huge difference in the success of each student and athlete:
- persistence
- hard work
- quality coaching and support
- having the right conditions
- measuring achievement, setting goals and striving for your Personal Best
At Marlborough we are continually aiming to improve our own perormance in order to meet the diverse needs of all of our students. Our aim is that all our graduating students can leave here with the fundamental skills and mindset to strive for their Personal Best in life.