3 minute read
I spell voice with a capital ‘E’
As one of the resounding voices across our campuses, it felt right to hand over one page of this edition of Insight magazine to a British School in The Netherlands (BSN) student. Here Emma, a Year 12 student, gives us her take on a topic given to her by the editorial team: ‘The Power of Voice’
“No sooner spoken than broken. What is it?”
Perhaps the answer – “Silence”— is obvious. Even so, not as crystal clear or plain, might possibly be the reason as to why, when asked how to spell “voice”, I might reply: “v-o-i-c-E, with a capital ‘E’”. Though it may be the first letter of my name, self-love can’t quite justify this added spelling condition. Instead, I’d like to say that the capital letter ‘E’, stands for “Everyone”. You see, we all have one (a voice) and as often as we use it to speak our name, be polite, or say “I love those shoes”, far too often we seem to treat our input like an OV-chipkaart (Dutch public transport card) only letting its heavy absence from our trouser pockets or leather wallets serve as a reminder of missed, bus-like opportunities that really don’t come every 15 minutes or so.
Sadly, the power of one’s voice is as undermined as silence is amplified by the absence of curiosity. We’re all students; toddlers, children, teens, adults, pensioners all have something to learn and our greatest tool is rarely anything less than our voice.
To be curious, as the BSN Character Profile explains, is to be open-minded about people and cultures, to find joy in the discovery of new things, and to ask questions with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding. If we fail to ask questions in Maths about the squiggly lines; if we fail to welcome change when the world tries to be more accommodating for people different but equal to ourselves; if we fail to take pride in using our voices for the betterment of ourselves and those around us; if we fail to be passionately curious, I find that the time spent waiting for another opportunity is painfully lengthy, if not endless.
Emma, backstage with her fellow MCs and MC coach, at the British School in The Netherlands' 2019 TEDxYouth event titled "Breaking the Mould" .
Throughout our history, hundreds of individuals have used their voices to announce their dreams, and it’s truly rare for others not to share these dreams or care to hear about them. When thousands of people gather in cities to lock hands and speak in chorus to share one voice, it’s common practice that galvanised voices of other cities and countries join the choir. That unifying voice only grows louder as its message spreads further. When Everyone that the capital ‘E’ represents has not only used their voice, but listened to the voices of others, we time and time again bear witness to the power of this great tool.
Emma, Year 12 student at the British School in the Netherlands.
Personally, I’ve come to appreciate using my own voice to explore new destinations of thought – be it skyscrapers of opinions, pyramids of different cultures, or bridges of newfound understanding between myself and others. And so, in a community as culturally diverse as the BSN’s, we must only continue to amplify our curiosities in order to break silence’s grip on our understanding. Ultimately, I hope that, regardless of how clear the answer to the first riddle may have been, it’s now almost obvious that the key to fruitful curiosity is the same as the answer to:
“What instrument can you hear but never see?”
(Hint: it ends with a capital ‘E’). ■
