“Teach your children to choose the right path,

And when they are older they will remain upon it.

~ Proverbs 22:6

Fathers do Make a Difference

I asked one of our music staff, Albert Combrink if he would train up some of the girls who were attending the Fathers/ Daughters evening to sing Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’ at the Fathers/Daughters dinner. The girls sang it beautifully. The lyrics can be used in so many different situations, but at an evening like this, I used them to sum up what every father would like to say to his daughter:

When you're weary, feeling small

When tears are in your eyes, I'll dry them all

I'm on your side, oh, when times get rough

And friends just can't be found

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

When you're down and out

When you're on the street

When evening falls so hard

I will comfort you

I'll take your part, oh, when darkness comes

And pain is all around

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

It is not easy going through teenage years - the bridge between childhood and adolescence - as there are so many ‘sharks' and ‘piranhas' out there in the rivers which all teenagers have to cross in the form of alcohol, drugs, sex, clubs. Good fathers are there building the bridges for their daughters to use so that they can cross these dangers safely.

At the same time, fathers provide the role models against whom all future male friends and partners will be measured. Do they display the virtues of kindness, consideration and respect which one day our girls will expect from all men? I urged the fathers present to ‘make memories’ with their daughters as, before they know it, the teenage years would have flown past. Walking up the mountain together, a father/ daughter beach trip, a movie, a drive on a rainy day. I elicited a laugh when I suggested that they asked their daughters out for a date - dressing up, opening the door, pulling out the chair, choosing from a menu together.

Back at school after the dinner, I asked some of my classes what they are learning from their fathers.

‘My father is very successful in his business and I see how hard he works. He has taught me that if I am to be successful, I must work just as hard.’

‘I was always taking life far too seriously, especially in the junior grades. My Dad taught me a sense of humour and to see the funny side of life.’

‘My father has always insisted that I keep a balance about everything I do at school. I now sing in the choir and play sport - and if anything, my schoolwork has improved.’

‘Most of my friends say that they fight with their fathers. As I have grown up, I have found that I can speak to my father about so many things. He is such a good listener - and he only gives me advice if I ask for it.’

‘My Dad is super-strict. I always have a curfew but if I stick to it, everything is fine. I once blew it and he grounded me for over a month!’

And then came the ultimate accolade. ‘My Dad is always going on about what my mother has achieved. I hope I can live up to what my Mom has done.’

Virtually all the girls were appreciative that their fathers made the effort to come to the dinner. On one aspect there was no accord - whether their fathers looked good in pink. Some girls were openly embarrassed while others pretended to ignore the dress sense of their fathers. I, of course, was wearing a pink shirt with matching cuff links and was quite proud of myself - until someone made a remark that dressed in all that pink, clearly I was aspiring to be at Herschel. Not easy to have a come-back line to that!

I chatted to one of our Springfield mothers at hockey on Saturday. ‘That was such a special time for the two of them at the dinner. She needed that Dad-Time.’

On the way home, I kept wondering whether Simon and Garfunkel realise what effect their song would still be having nearly fifty years after they first sung it. We are now two generations on from that time and our children today, who are journeying over that bridge, still need the guiding hand and encouraging support of their fathers.

Well done to all who attended. It really was a good evening. It is a pity that no girl knew who Simon & Garfunkel were.

Keith Richardson

Headmaster

The pearl of tech wisdom for this week:

Search Google with A Right-Click

Are you ever reading something online, see a term or person you're interested in, and want to learn more? To do it quickly in most browsers, right-click on the term in your browser and choose the "Search Google" option in the menu. Your browser will open a new tab and show you search results on the topic. The feature works in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. But you won't yet find it in Microsoft Edge.

(Caitlin Gardiner 7B)

Some of our grades enjoying the Minecraft Education Edition(MiEE) in Computers this week