Can One Person Make A Difference? DR LINDA EVANS, PRINCIPAL
As 2015 London bombing survivor, author and speaker Gillian Hicks reminds us, ‘right now someone, somewhere is feeling the effects of something you have said or done.’ Each one of us can and does make a difference. The person beside us can change our life and we can change theirs.
In a gentle way you [too] can shake the world
(Mahatma Gandhi)
Yet, we tend to think that to make a difference we must undertake a large Greta Thunberg action. Whilst one small voice can have a big impact, as Greta has made evident, it can be the unrehearsed, unrewarded actions that matter most. I am mindful of this as I reflect upon the 2019 school year, one which can be measured by NAPLAN scores, OP results, sporting successes and cultural highlights … or by the cumulative effect of the little things that are imbued in the
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school’s culture and make this a school ‘that the Lord has blessed’. This is not to diminish the tangible achievements of 2019 that have been significant for Fairholme as a whole and for many, many individuals. Awards and rewards, attainments and accomplishments deserve acknowledgement but they do not, and cannot, take the place of the cumulative effect of small acts done with great heart, or small acts done over and over again with great determination and commitment. These acts make a difference of note. And therein is the great paradox of presentation evenings and awards nights ̶ that reinforcement of achievement through extrinsic validation might lead us to think that this matters more than that which is done selflessly and that which is not acknowledged in a public sense. I think not. Whilst achievement of a goal that is celebrated with a wider audience provides reinforcement, so
too does that which is intrinsically motivated. Recent Fairholme graduate and Olympic gold medallist, Emilee Cherry (2010) spoke at the Byron Breakfast in October. Emilee was asked to share the best moment of celebration after winning an Olympic gold medal. She replied, ‘It was going across to my family in the stands and hugging them’ – because, in her words, what mattered were those who had walked with her all the way – her parents – for her lifetime. That’s what made a difference to her. In a clichéd sense it was the journey, rather than the outcome that bore the greatest reward. This is not to deny the impact of a gold medal but what mattered most, in that moment, was the celebration of effort, tenacity and perseverance over a long period of time. It is often the tough times and the hard work that reap the greatest reward – eventually. It is no surprise that Emilee, one of the greatest Rugby 7s players in the
