Nicholas Odgers 2021 Dux Address Leaders Induction & Academic Assembly
Good afternoon staff and senior Eddies Boys. It is a real privilege to be standing here today to be able to share some advice I wish I had known when I sat in your position. I’d like to begin my address today with a question. Does a mark of 60 constitute adequacy, and a mark of 100, perfection? Throughout most of my schooling career, my answer to this question has been ‘yes’. Nothing can beat a mark of 100, but a lot can beat a mark of 60. Our education system had slowly ingrained this notion into my mind, to the point that I became so fixated on the result; on reaching the destination and not the journey. Before long, my achievement was dictated by a letter or a number on a test or assignment, and I did everything I could to maximise it. I reduced my learning to the constraints of the textbook; focusing solely on the topics that were to be examined. I would memorise formulas, quotes, and even full essays – anything I thought would help me do better. Anything to get closer to that 100 - the perfect number; the definition of success. But in chasing perfection, I learnt so much about the power that trying your best has on our learning.
Now, I want all of you to think forward to when you graduate, and the many emotions that come with it. Graduation is about the mountains each of you climbed along the way. It is about the feeling when you thought you had nothing more to give, but found another gear. It is about the times you fell, and the tenacity and perseverance you showed to pick yourself up and keep going. Whether you thrived or merely survived, you kept moving forward and you did it. You finished school. But once you graduate, you no longer have the luxury of coasting through. The day you leave the walls of St Edmund’s College, you are no longer bound by a school curriculum or a daily routine, and no one is telling you what to do or when to do it. You are governed purely by your own choices and judgement. You have entered the real world, where there are no report cards and assessments to keep track of your achievement. Without frequent tests and assignments, how then can we measure if we are successful? Today, I offer a solution, one which saved me from the demands of perfectionism. I
shifted
Vibrant Spirit. Strong Character. Tailored Learning
my
mentality.
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