It has been over a decade since I retired as a headteacher from the secondary school I worked at in Gloucestershire. Now, I volunteer in a primary school. It’s a wonderful school and I love everyone in it, all the way from the excellent headteacher down to the very smallest pupil.
When I walk round the school, it is always very tidy but there’s masses of creative work on display, along with books and computers. Ready smiles from both the teachers and the pupils demonstrate a happy school.
I remember a couple of years ago, a small boy came into the foyer to ask the head a question. That very important person immediately stopped what he was doing to listen – I had to blink away a tear.
Carol service
At Christmas, I went with the school when they entertained residents of a care home with a carol service. When we – the headteacher, me and 69-year-olds! – arrived, it’s hard to know who was the more delighted, the children or the residents.
The children were well-rehearsed and eager to perform, all decked out in their Father Christmas jumpers and hats. They sang exquisitely and the audience was enchanted.
Seeing both generations getting so much from each other’s company really brought home to me the true Spirit of Christmas.
