Going the Extra Mile!

Sometimes in a busy life, it can be difficult to sift the ordinary from the truly inspirational. One of the privileges of having a very efficient PA is that my desk is very rarely swamped with paper. One piece of paper I was glad made it through to my office was an invitation to attend the 15th Annual Education Conference at Brighton College last week. An invitation I was only too pleased to accept.

 

It wasn’t so much the chance to spend a day beside the sea-side, or indeed sample the candyfloss or stroll on the pier, which attracted me to this conference; it was the list of guest speakers that caught my eye. The speakers for the day included Rt Hon Michael Gove MP (Secretary of State for Education), Sir Michael Wilshaw (Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector for Education), Dr David Starkey (Historian) and Jeremy Paxman (Broadcaster and writer). It was an eminent list of speakers indeed.

The speakers were entertaining, thought-provoking, and at times, controversial. Dr David Starkey certainly gave me a mental workout and made me question how we teach History in school. But one of the speakers, Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, an Indian born Life Peer and founder of Cobra Beer, shared some particularly wise words indeed. Lord Bilimoria spoke eloquently about the development of India and why all schools should teach their pupils about India.

As a child and needing some advice from his father, an officer in the army, about how to get on and succeed in this world, he received this simple advice:

“Go the extra mile. Whatever you are asked to do, however menial, do it and do more than it. If you are asked to make a cup of tea, do it without complaining, make the best cup of tea in your life and do something extra, wash up afterwards or bring a biscuit as well”.

I reflected on these wise words and I believe they speak a great deal of truth. Perhaps, in addition to a good education, ‘going the extra mile’ is the other essential ingredient in ensuring our children succeed, our businesses prosper and the world is a better place.

It’s certainly not a bad motto for any organisation, including The Elms.

Keith Morrow
Head Master