Passion
During registration, our Sixth Formers often tell the rest of their tutor group about a passion of theirs, whether it is a firmly held belief or a hobby they love pursuing, or something or someone they admire. I think this is a really lovely idea not least because you can find out things about people you might otherwise never have known.
One of the things I love about giving assemblies occasionally in the Junior School is the sheer enthusiasm the girls have for just about everything: opportunities to act as a volunteer, to answer any questions, to give things a go. Their little faces beam up at you, arms stretched so high up I worry they are about to pop out of their sockets, with a Pick Me, Pick Me expression on their faces. Similarly, I love the wonderful exuberance of Year 7 when they first arrive in the Senior School. Bright eyes, bright faces, so keen to tell you about their family holiday to Pompeii (complete with photos) and to correct me on intricate details of Greek myths. I should point out that I am never actually wrong about the myths, it’s just that the nature of myths is that different tellings of them are subtly different…
But as we grow older and hit the teenage years, that youthful enthusiasm can often subside because being passionate makes us stand out and sometimes teenagers just want to fit in with the crowd. As we hit our teenage years the judgment of our peers often becomes more important than that of our families. Our friends become the centre of our worlds and we will sometimes do anything to fit in. Thus adopting a position of nonchalance, am I bovvered and describing things as ‘meh’, is sometimes a safer proposition than admitting great enthusiasm for anything that does not form part of the teenage cannon of approved music, literature, films and television programmes. But the lovely thing about the girls here is that I think most of them really do retain that genuine enthusiasm for learning, and for hobbies and interests. There is no sense here, I hope, of cool and uncool subjects and extra-curricular pursuits. They respect each other, I think, for their individual tastes and interests. And that is really important because (just as we should never treat people differently because of their race, gender, religion or sexuality) I don’t think we should treat people any differently because of their interests. What is great about South Hampstead is that some fairly quirky clubs and pursuits seem to attract quite large followings. Bug Week was a great success, I gather. House lip syncing is a competition I have heard much about. I think we must have the most thriving Feminist clubs of any school in London. We have a ukulele orchestra! However, as I say to our pupils, that doesn’t mean they all have to make conspicuous efforts to be “different” as people do see through this. It just means they need to be themselves.
Why do passions matter? Well above all they bring joy and beauty into our lives. They give us a sense of fulfilment. They make us feel alive. They help us make new friends. They make us more rounded and interesting people. They can fuel conversations a lot more effectively than the weather and a lot more kindly than gossip. I always love hearing about people’s interests and hobbies – within reason. The trick is to realise when your listener has had enough. But with over 140 different clubs and societies on offer in the Senior School alone, and exciting new ones being suggested and initiated by girls and teachers each term, I think it will be quite some time before I, or indeed they, are bored.
Blog post by Vicky Bingham, Headmistress from 2017 to 2023.