‘It is the Struggles that Make Us Shine!’

As the SLT at King’s College Doha were preparing for the end of a very different school year we decided to use the topic of the caterpillar changing into a butterfly and the challenges you might face on the journey through school and life. Initially we thought it was an analogy for school life and was appropriate for the assembly at the end of a school year (and it allowed us to have some fun with our Zoom backgrounds)! But as we prepared for the filming and all went away to write our words, it became apparent that this was the perfect analogy for the current (COVID 19) situation. It is the struggles that make us strong and allow us to shine.

As I was new to Doha in January and school closures were announced in Qatar after only eight weeks in school, I faced one of the biggest (if not the biggest) challenge of my career. Getting an online programme together, ensuring that the staff were ready; along with helping the pupils and parents to access the online activities. This all, initially, seemed almost impossible to manage in such a short space of time. However, with the support of a wonderfully dedicated staff team (at KCD) and a supportive parent body, we managed it. I can’t say it was seamless but the struggles along the way have made us all stronger and more appreciative.

It is important during these challenging times, that we make sure that our children know that it is through experiencing more difficult periods in our lives, we can appreciate the small things in life and be more content. Children must be encouraged to rise to challenges and to realise the importance of not giving up, in order to become more resilient.

How the adults in a child’s life behave during times of change, uncertainly and stress, can influence how a child might deal with challenge in the future. I am very proud that the KCD Teams, teachers, support staff and parents, were calm and collected and that they never wavered throughout the COVID-19 closure this academic year. We are all like the butterfly trying to get out of the cocoon; we know it will be a struggle but we also know that we will come out of it stronger and better prepared for the future. I can’t wait to see the KCD pupils shine on their return to school in September.