The Invisible Backpacks We Carry
Our Spotlight SHC Principal's Blog SHC TeacherAs we begin a new academic year, I am delighted to share my first blog with you. One of the things I am especially proud of as Founding Principal is our Value of the Month, a much-loved City Campus tradition that gives us a chance to reflect on the values that matter most.
Each month, we explore a different value and think about how we can bring it to life in the way we learn, work and care for one another. To begin this year, we are focusing on a value that I believe is at the heart of our community: Respect.
We often think of respect in simple terms: using good manners, listening to others and treating our community with care. These things matter, but respect goes much deeper….
Imagine that every person you meet is carrying an invisible backpack.
A child may be worried about making friends, getting something wrong or facing a new challenge. A member of staff may have something difficult happening outside school. A parent may be carrying concerns that others know nothing about. Even when someone smiles and carries on as normal, there may be a story we cannot see.
This is why respect matters.
When we remember that everyone has a story, we are less likely to judge too quickly. Instead, we can choose patience, kindness and understanding. A smile, a kind word, an invitation to join in or simply noticing when someone is struggling can make an invisible backpack feel a little lighter.
This is the kind of community we want to build at Shrewsbury International School Bangkok City Campus: one where every child feels valued, every member of staff feels respected, and every family feels a sense of connection and belonging.
To our children, I encourage you to be curious before being judgemental, kind before being certain, and to treat everyone as someone who matters.
To our families and staff, thank you for modelling these values every day. The way we treat one another teaches our children as much as anything we say.
We may never know everything that someone else is carrying. But we can always choose to make the journey a little lighter.
“Everyone carries a story you cannot see. Respect begins when we remember that.”
Amanda Dennison
Founding Principal
Shrewsbury International School Bangkok City Campus