Leadership Likes: Mrs Cook

 EMPATHY IS A QUALITY OF CHARACTER THAT CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.”

– BARACK OBAMA

Whilst I know President Obama is often mentioned, I doubt Billy Connolly has ever been referenced in a Croydon High newsletter before – and I certainly would hesitate to quote him directly for a number of very good reasons!

But this one always makes me smile – so here it is…

“Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. After that who cares? He’s a mile away and you’ve got his shoes!”

Few would argue that Billy’s ability to describe situations that so many can relate to, despite never having experienced anything similar, and the way he shows and evokes empathy for the most ridiculous of scenarios, is why he has been described as Britain’s greatest observational comic.

So, it may have passed you by but 10 June 2021 was World Empathy Day. Don’t feel bad about yourself if you missed it – I understand how you feel.

Whilst I am firmly in the camp that feels that the vast majority of these ‘World Days’ are nothing more than Hallmark opportunities – i.e. a chance to sell another schmaltzy card or two ( and this from the woman who couldn’t resist sending my team a card on Administrative Professionals Day a couple of years ago!) However there is something very positive about recognising empathy, especially at a time when the impact of the pandemic has been to make us all extraordinarily aware of the suffering experienced by so many, right across the globe. For many, this has translated into developing more compassion for others and ourselves. And interestingly, because the reach of COVID-19 has been so widespread, the empathetic response has been particularly powerful . We really have been able to imagine the feelings experienced by those who have lost loved ones, been separated from families, struggled with GHL or experienced financial loss, because most of us have endured at least one of those hardships too over the last 15 months. What we feel is much more than sympathy.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Sympathy is similar and easy to confuse, but arguably not half as useful! Sympathy is feeling compassion, sorrow, or pity for the hardships that another person encounters. Empathy is putting yourself in the shoes of another, which is why actors often talk about it. Of course both emotions are valuable and both have their place; we simply can’t empathise with every situation another person is experiencing and sometimes a sympathetic hug is just what that person needs. Or it was, before COVID.

At Croydon High, empathy levels are pretty good, judging by the prevalence and interest in the wide variety of clubs and activities that encourage pupils to not only understand the issues that others face, but also to be proactive in supporting them in the most appropriate way.  Senior Clubs such as Ubuntu (an African philosophy which refers to the idea that ‘I am because we are’) broaden horizons and understanding and activities like Learn to Sign certainly promote active empathy… and there are many more examples. It is wonderful to watch pupils become inspired and go on and do more – through fundraising, or awareness raising or simply by choosing to learn more, about issues and situations that may not directly affect them, but which do affect others.

Just in the last month Junior girls from across the GDST family participated in the Charity Tech Challenge 2021, showcasing their sense of social conscience while applying their entrepreneurial skills to a real-life scenario. We are so proud of the fact that this initiative was the brainchild of our own

Mrs Krishnamurthy, who teaches Computer Science and Enterprise Technology in our Junior School. Teams made up from Year 5 pupils from Croydon High, Blackheath High and Royal High School Bath, met virtually each week for five weeks to brainstorm, collaborate and launch a charity to support a cause close to their hearts. As Mrs Krishnamurthy explained ‘ the girls not only harnessed the power of technology to collaboratively research and create marketing content for their charities, but this project also created an awareness in them on important social issues and the kind of contribution each of us can make towards a better world.” An amazing opportunity and a wonderful project – congratulations to Mrs Krishnamurthy.

So many of our inspirational alumnae credit their drive to be active campaigners and advocates to their experiences at Croydon High. A great example of this is Camilla Bowry, who we are proud to say is one of the finalists in the GDST’s 2021 Alumna of the Year Award.  Camilla is the founder of Sal’s Shoes—a charity that delivers outgrown, but not outworn shoes to children living in poverty around the world.  Since 2013, Camilla’s charity has ensured over two million pairs of shoes are walking again in 49 countries, and over 20,000 pairs have helped children in poverty in the UK alone during the pandemic. Camilla often refers to the friendships and the learning experiences that she feels have shaped her saying “No other 7 year period has gone on to have had such a positive impact on my life than my time at Croydon High.”

In recognition of Camilla’s amazing work, we would like to repeat an initiative we first ran in 2018, when on the last day of the summer term pupils and staff in both the Junior and the Senior schools and led by Mrs Pattison, were invited to take off their shoes and leave school barefoot. The shoes left behind were donated to Sal’s Shoes.  The response was overwhelming with parents fully supporting the initiative and an enormous number of shoes donated.

More details of how this will work on a practical level this year will follow, but for now, please do think about if you might like to get involved by donating those shoes that may not fit in September!

Fran Cook

Director of External Relations