By Nick McIvor | Posted: Friday March 23, 2018
Congratulations to Riley Taylor and Cathal Guiney for their selection to the 2018 Prefect team. We’re sure they will serve our students and school to the best of their ability. As we applaud Riley and Cathal we are conscious of all the other boys who lead or show important leadership qualities elsewhere in the school.
At TBHS we want leadership to develop in each boy but this can be very daunting for them, and not everyone is, or wants to be, a leader. If only aged 13 – 18 years and already traversing the many challenges of teenage life, expecting leadership confidence and capability of boys can be premature or unrealistic; something they may simply not be ready for yet. Having said that, there are so many fledgling leaders in the school, it does seem that to show leadership, even infrequently, is not too much for most of our boys. For some of them, leadership comes freely, and is applied regularly to great effect.
So where do we see and encourage leadership? Every time a boy volunteers to do more than the norm in a situation, he is being a leader. When he takes the initiative in an activity with and for others, he’s being a leader. When he makes decisions that influence others positively, or has the character to act with honesty and integrity, without prompting, he’s being a leader. He may not have a particular position, post, or designation to his name. He may not be leading a team or group ‘into the fray’. He may not even be obvious in his leadership, but he can still show leadership that will bring out the best in others as well as himself, by committing well to things beyond his immediate self-interest.
Leadership is nurtured each time boys find new self-knowledge. They need to have a sufficient ‘sense of self’ if going to lead. Again this is tough, because it can take years to achieve the sort of self-actualisation we often associate with leadership. But it is also why the young men who lead at TBHS, where they find a good focus, are all the more impressive. Programmes like our Rite Journey or school-based mentoring, direct boys to self-knowledge and with it leadership potential.
Leadership is also heavily dependent on participation. Active involvement in a task is needed in the first place to function as a leader of some description in it. Leadership doesn’t come from spectating only. This means that the wider the range of tasks boys try, the more chance they give themselves to cultivate leadership qualities or to assume leadership roles. This is another reason why getting actively involved in lessons and co-curricular options really matters.
There will be a good number of our boys who open out their leadership at TBHS. There are others who may not become leaders until past school. It is incumbent on us to at least give them plenty of enticing opportunities to realise their leadership, with our support, and to truly find out what could be.
To finish, thank you to everyone who attended the opening of the new main entrance and reception space on Tuesday. It was fantastic not only having those who donated to this particular project with us but other longer term donors and contributors, or their family representatives. Longer term supporters of the school are now acknowledged in the new foyer and on the new wall plaques outside.
Nick McIvor
Scientia Potestas Est. Mā te Mātauranga te Mana
