Being Responsible 22/9/06

The theme for this week's assemblies is "being responsible".
But before we think about this theme, I want to spend a little time studying this picture.

What have we got here? Well there's a picture of a typical blacksmith in his forge. You can see the glow of the furnace behind the smith's back, and he's holding a horseshoe in a pair of tongs with one hand while hammering the piece of iron into shape. As far as quality is concerned, it's a bit rough - look at how the floor is represented, for example, - rather simplistically portrayed in pastels, but it does convey these scene well, the man huge in the frame, the shoulders hunched with effort, the tension in his arms looking like the pistons of a steam locomotive. You can see the effort of concentration as well as the physical effort required to shape, what is, after all, a fairly small piece of metal.

But when I first saw this picture, I was drawn to it because I sensed there was much more going on than a quick glance might reveal.

As I spent time with it, I saw a new level of meaning. There are a number of large blocks of colour in the frame. There's one wall on the left, the other wall. There's the man's face plainly and flatly shown; there's the shirt; the leather apron; there's the anvil block pushing in from below. All these large colour shapes appear to be arranged around the tiny horseshoe. The position of everything in the frame depends on it; the small piece of hard metal controls this picture, the position of the smith, the angle of his body.

And if the horseshoe controls the elements of this picture, then isn't it also true that the man's physical appearance is controlled by the iron? Throughout history smiths have been renowned for their huge size and strength, their muscles responding to years of effort in the forge. And smiths are also known for their stubbornness, their immovable character - in other words, the iron is shaping their minds. Smiths have a reputation of being able to drink vast quantities of beer, again, no doubt the result of working close to the furnace daily, heating and hammering and working iron at the anvil.

And if it's true that the smith's appearance and character have been shaped by what he does, it must also be true that you are being shaped by what you do. Yes, you are being shaped by everyday actions, and incidentally, this is why the job of a teacher is so rewarding - to have the chance of helping to shape a young person's life.

Mrs Chilvers spoke yesterday about being responsible, relating the topic to diet. You are what you eat. Eat junk food, and not surprisingly, after a period of time, your body is junk. And at the Prize Giving ceremony on Monday, those who were listening may remember the Guest of Honour, Professor Caroline Gipps, said how important it was that students should become reliable. She said that there's always a job for those who do what they say they're going to do, for those who are in the right place at the right time, for those with a "can do" attitude instead of looking for excuses. And for most purposes, reliability and responsibility are virtually interchangeable words.

And this is what this picture teaches us. If you practice being responsible through days and months and years, guess what; you become responsible. The blacksmith is shaped by what he does, and you are shaped by what you do.

There is another connection between this picture and Prize Giving. There are two year 11 prizes, one for Art; the other for Art and Design. These are known as the Alastair Hart Memorial prizes.

This picture was drawn by Alastair Hart when he was 15 years old. He was a student at this school some 10 years ago, and in many ways he was much like some of you. He found most schoolwork difficult and a bit of a chore, and quite often his marks were close to the bottom of the class. But he really enjoyed both Art and Design, and he put a lot of effort into those subjects. Just a few months after drawing this picture he was killed by a car while on a school trip, crossing the road. It was a complete tragedy. Some staff still remember Alastair, and through his picture, his life and gifts speak to us. And for two year 11 students, now you know something of the background to the prize you might win.

Practice responsibility, and you will become responsible.

The original picture will be on display in the entrance hall for one week. You may like to go and have a look at it one lunchtime.

Thanks for listening.

JDE