Gratitude

We often get lost in worrying and sometimes complaining about things that are not going perfectly well. I would like to dedicate this piece today to remind ourselves that we have so much to be grateful for and that most of us are able to live in circumstances that are giving us opportunities to thrive and grow.

When I asked one of our Grade 6 classes this past week in the morning what they are grateful for, they were so articulate with what they appreciated in their lives and they certainly know how fortunate many of us are - living in a peaceful country, often with a caring family, having the opportunity to enjoy an excellent education, having the basic necessities - food, a roof over their heads, clean air to breathe, friends and a great community.

At WIS, we celebrate and are grateful for the opportunity of being able to interact with people from all corners of the planet as well as people who come from different backgrounds, cultures, religions and traditions. This past week’s Heritage Celebrations reminded us how rich our culture(s) here in Namibia are and how we can celebrate these. This is not the norm in many other countries and communities. We are grateful for this opportunity - or should I even say privilege.

As a person who has been at WIS for many years and who has witnessed many changes and ups and downs, I want to also be grateful for those members of our community - parents, teachers, alumni - who invest so much energy and who are dedicated to improving our school through all these years and all the phases of change that we experience. A special thank you to our teachers - our educators - who embrace a fast-moving and changing educational landscape with dedication and passion. And a special thank you to parents who appreciate the school’s efforts to adapt to change and to keep up with change.

We appreciate the words of encouragement and gratitude from our parents and this makes us educators even more determined to invest our energy, time and commitment into the education of a generation that needs such different guidance and support than what we needed when we grew up.

With gratitude,

Maggie Reiff

Secondary Principal