Dear parents

I have recently been enjoying Lin Yutang's The Importance of Living. Although the book itself is well over 80 years old, the timeless insights and wisdom of the author are evident on every page. His playful reflections on China, its people, stories and traditions are beautifully rendered in prose, and the sensation of reading even a short chapter is akin to the pleasure of sipping a fine cup of Longjing tea: refreshing and soothing in equal measure.

His writing is shot through with self-deprecating humour. No reader could fail to be charmed by his description of himself as "studying philosophy – the incorrect way" because he focuses not on the great philosophers but the life and people around him. He is inspired by, among others, a Mrs Huang, who "has all the ideas that go into the breeding of a good woman in China", as well as a foul-mouthed Suzhou boat woman, his cook's wife and even a squirrel in Central Park in New York.

He makes enormous claims for the importance of a sense of humour, even going so far as to claim that "Germany lost the [First World] War because [Kaiser] Wilhelm Hohenzollern did not know when to laugh, or what to laugh at." In stressing the importance of humour, Lin Yutang champions the cause of those people he describes as "the scamp…wayward, incalculable, unpredictable free individuals" as a counterpoint to the "patriotic automatons" he saw around him. Of course, a part of this was deliberately provocative, but he goes on to argue that the contrariness of the scamp is a sign of our humanity, marking us out as different to the "cows" who go to the slaughterhouse without protest. Scamps, by contrast, militate at the mechanisation of modern living.

Why is this a suitable theme for my Week Ahead piece? I am not advocating for wayward children, each one answering only to themselves. Schools rarely seek to foster such anarchic pupils. I think that Lin Yutang's tongue-in-cheek message does resonate in his defence of individuality and independence, though. These are two of our core Wellington identities, and we do much to foster such a spirit here in the school. At our recent Festival of Education day on 17th April, two of our staff, Megan Gater and Madeline Churchill, used their sessions to focus on how we as a school are helping to develop pupil independence and creativity in their learning. These are essential skills in school children, but they are also much sought-after skills in the workplace. I suspect Lin Yutang would have approved of the way Steve Jobs' disruptive brand of leadership, for example, helped to establish Apple as a global leader in technology - although he may equally have abhorred the fanatical work ethic that accompanied this success. By thinking and acting creatively, such leaders embrace difference and see the unorthodox as entirely natural. Young people who are encouraged to experiment with their learning, as even our youngest pupils in the Nest are discovering, find they can open limitless doors to the world around them. Creative thinking and independence are not readily accessible without the support and guidance of teachers. Still, they can be fostered in the right environment, and Wellington seeks to offer just such opportunities to all its pupils.

Man, in the view of Lin Yutang, "is a curious, dreamy, humorous and wayward creature". By tapping into that spirit, we seek to foster the sort of curious and thoughtful young people who will go on to enrich the world with their talents and humanity.   

Best wishes

Julian Jeffrey
MASTER

Duke of Wellington Room (MB109)
1400hrs-1500hrs, Thursday
6th May

This week's Meet the Master slot is open to parents of pupils in the years 12 and 13. If you would like to attend, please confirm via e-mail with Ms Emma Shi (emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn) by Wednesday 05th May. Of course, parents of pupil in any age group are more than welcome to join as well.

Old Common Room
0930hrs-1015hrs, Wednesday
5th May

Parent briefings are held on Wednesday mornings, usually from 0930hrs -1015hrs. Parents will have the chance to engage with the school in sessions covering all aspects of their child's education, from the Early Years to A levels and university admissions. We continue to pre-record the video with Chinese and Korean subtitles and share it with parents before the day. Meanwhile, parents are welcome to the campus to watch the video and afterwards, the presenters will lead a Q&A session on the day.

Mr Jeffrey will be delivering a brief outline of the findings of the 2021 Annual Review. There will be an opportunity for questions after the video presentation. The video will be available for parents from Wednesday morning at 0930hrs, with the live in-school session held in the old Common Room (room 214).

Junior School Parents' Evenings
4th-14th May

We will be hosting parent evenings in the Junior School from 4th-14th May. This is an opportunity for you to discuss your child's achievements and progress to date. Please contact your child's teacher to arrange a mutually convenient time via Teams or in person.

Year 8: Bring Your Mother to School Day
7th May, Friday

The Senior School is delighted to invite the mothers of our year 8 pupils to join us for the day on Friday 7th May. Letters went out earlier this week. If you have signed up for this, please check your e-mail for further details.

Mothers will be invited to join me, as well as Ms Popovic, the Head of Senior School, in the old Common Room (MB214) during ASA time (1500hrs-1550hrs) on that day for a coffee and a chance to ask any questions they may have. I sincerely hope to see as many of you as possible.

Readers of the week

The English and ELA department is delighted to announce that this week's Readers of the Week are:

Jason, in year 8, nominated by Ms Xu for making a huge effort to write a detailed summary of 'The Old Man and the Sea'.

Richard, in year 10, nominated by Ms Jiao for his outstanding commitment to improving his reading and his insightful analysis of the novel 'Matilda'.

Huge congratulations to Jason and Richard – what impressive achievements!