What does being brave mean to you?
There are six Houses in the Prep School: Brimley, Taskers, Heseltine, Quennell, Bayman and Lawrence. All are named after people connected to the history of the School. Every year each House prepares and delivers an assembly to all of the pupils in Key Stage 1 and 2 (Year 1 up to Year 6). It’s no mean feat to present in front of so many of your peers and this week Brimley did a fantastic job of embodying the theme of their assembly – What is Bravery?
When Sapphire in Year 5 said “Let’s start by thinking about what bravery means. When we say the word ‘bravery,’ what do you think of?” a dozen hands shot up, our pupils are often keen to share their ideas. The responses came bounding in: “Ironman is brave”; “Spiderman”; “Black Panther”. But the pupils in Brimley had predicted these answers, and right on queue, Esme, also in Year 5, moved the discussion forward, saying, “Bravery doesn’t always look like a superhero. It’s about doing the right thing, even when it’s hard or scary. Bravery can be standing up for what you believe in, helping someone who needs it, or simply trying something new. It’s about facing your fears and doing it anyway.”
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it.”
Nelson Mandela
The pupils gave stories of brave individuals in history and the uniting factor was that these individuals did not carry social status and were not born into power (and certainly did not have superpowers). It was indeed their lack of leverage that meant their acts carried so much bravery. The Brimley assembly’s core message was clear – even the smallest amongst us can be brave and can make a difference. Evie in Year 3 overcame her own nerves to say calmly and confidently to 420 peers “Bravery also means helping others, even when it’s not easy. Maybe it’s offering to help someone who’s struggling, or supporting a friend who feels left out.”
Brimley House have set all the Houses a bravery challenge this week for which they will award certificates, encouraging all of us to stand up for what is right.
The assembly ended with a poem recited by everyone in Brimley House, ‘I Am Brave’ by Laura Mucha.
Fear of monsters
Fear of dogs
Fear of hurricanes or bogs
Fear of spiders
Fear of feet
Fear of strangers in the street
Fear of dragons
Fear of night
Fear of all the things that might
Or might not pass
Fear of being last in class
But fear’s ok
Yes, fear’s alright
For now I have it in my sight
And when I’m overwhelmed by fright
I recognise its painful bite
(And that is more than half the fight)
So yes I’m fearful, yet I’m brave
And when my fear will not behave
I gently pat fear on the head
And send fear off to go to bed
Wishing you a lovely weekend,
Alice Goodfellow
