Message from Head | Somerset College

Message from the Head of the Pre-Preparatory

At Somerset College Pre-Preparatory school, we aim to expand the powers of the mind and enrich the spirit of every child in our care. In expanding the powers of the mind, it is essential to instill in children a love of learning that lasts through life. It matters greatly what children learn, but it matters more that they get the habit and skill of learning and of life. To enrich the spirit, we train the habits of the heart.  

The objective for harmonious living and academic excellence is equally important at Somerset College Pre-Preparatory school. This balance will ensure that children have a sense of meaning in their lives, which comes from both social engagement and enthusiastic development of their own interests and talents. The commitment by Somerset College Pre-Preparatory school is to act as a values-based community promoting mutual respect between all members of the school and involving parents closely. Unless parents are intimately involved in the life of the school, and the life of their children, it is not possible to achieve our goals.

In a world where there are no free rides and few guarantees, it is our duty to bring up children of substance. They need to become drivers of their own career development and become their own source of internal security as they forge their unique paths into the future. This according to Nikki Bush as she reminds us that the future for our children will be filled with both challenges and opportunities that are beyond our imagination. Children must learn to treat a setback as a challenge, and eventually to rise above it. When children are able to achieve all this, they will then contribute to the happiness and wellbeing of others.   

Every year, the teachers of Somerset College Pre-Preparatory school learn and grow and enrich themselves and their lives through the experience of working with children. They are key to growing children of substance and implementing and living out the philosophy of our school.

These teachers….

Believe they have been called by God to teach.

They believe in children, young and old, black and white, rich and poor; each in need of learning. 

They believe in blackboards, chalk dust, textbooks, and computers for each has a place in imparting knowledge.

They believe the love they give to their students will someday be reflected in their lives. 

They believe the gift of teaching is not measured simply by assessment, enrolment, or the end of the school year. It is in the witness they give and the fullness of the life lived by those they teach. 

They believe they have the power to lead those in need of learning, to the threshold of their own minds.

They believe in their giftedness to use each of the tools available no matter how new or old, for the light of knowledge in the eyes of another is their goal. 

They believe teaching is more than tests, diplomas, paperwork, and fundraising. It is the values they breathe daily into another…. slowly. 

It is the faith they share in God… ever-changing and growing…. never-ending. 

They believe their success today goes unnoticed…until those they teach and touch can stand alone and say “in my life, I have learned…”

They believe if they have taught and touched one person…they have used their gifts justly…and can humbly say… they believe in teaching.  

 

Mrs. Carmen Weir

Head of the Pre-Preparatory School