I Dwell in Possibility

By Emily Dickinson

I dwell in Possibility –

A fairer House than Prose –

More numerous of Windows –

Superior – for Doors –

Of Chambers as the Cedars –

Impregnable of eye –

And for an everlasting Roof

The Gambrels of the Sky –

Of Visitors – the fairest –

For Occupation – This –

The spreading wide my narrow Hands

To gather Paradise –

I wonder what possibility Dickinson was dwelling on when she wrote this poem. Without context it is almost impossible to know her exact thoughts, but the beauty of poetry is that we should feel invited to apply the words to our own contexts.

My obsessive observation of the US elections this past weekend, left me hopeful that a fairer House might allow for previously impossible things to become possible. Change always brings with it disruption, but with direction and planning, this can become a source of possibility. The American people will be led by a team who are not perfect (who is?) but, in a time when being human matters, I am hopeful that their country will experience more of this from their new leadership.

Possibility suggests a chance or a likelihood that something might happen. It is fed by optimism and yields a desire for more or for better. Children must experience their schools as places of possibility; a sense of which should be a product of most lessons.

Our Transformation Steering Committee (TSC) continues with the process that will lead to a vision and plan for Springfield’s future. At our last meeting, it was agreed that the number of pupils who serve on the committee needs to be increased and a process is underway to identify an additional representative from the Grade 11 group. Much of the early group discussions are aimed at increasing the knowledge and awareness of self in relation to others. The interactions are rich and worthwhile and all TSC members are committed to this work.

Schools, by their nature, are cyclical and they have their seasons (this is why I love schools - they keep you coming back for more). In the Senior School, the Grade 8 to 11 pupils are busy with their year-end assessments. These assessments bring closure to a school year and an opportunity to reflect on how to move forward in the next year. Examinations, at this level, are a learning tool and a means of evaluating some aspects of progress; they are not a final predictor of success. Stress is not necessary, and it is unhelpful. Preparing for exams is an opportunity for students to practice discipline and to enjoy a different rhythm and routine.

On Thursday of last week, I spoke to the Matrics while they were all gathered ahead of their first major exam. They are on track for the finish line and they know that they have the spirit of an entire community supporting and encouraging them to the end. They will enter a society whose needs are diverse and plentiful but filled with opportunities. On that same day, the Grade 8s of 2021 and their parents were welcomed to Springfield. The event was a fabulous occasion and the energy suggested enjoyment, hope and a sense of possibility for all that is to come.

PENNY MULLAN

Head of School

The children will forget what they learned that day; they’ll forget the results of the spelling test they had that day; they might even forget they wore masks all day, but they will not forget the feeling of joy they experienced. My reflections on the joy-filled day led me (as usual) to two songs I have sung with the children in Assemblies. They are so apt for our Dominican school. The first is a song about St Dominic himself:

The joy of the Lord was Dominic’s strength

The will of the Lord gave him God’s own plan

Thro’ all the world he was God’s own man

Who sang of the joy of the Lord.

If we want joy we must follow him

Follow him along the path he traced

With courage high he the cross embraced

For the joy of the Lord was his strength.

And the second is another hymn loved by the younger girls:

O the joy of the Lord is my strength, my strength,

O the joy of the Lord is my help, my help,

For the power of his Spirit is in my soul

And the joy of the Lord is my strength.

As the quote above says: Let’s choose joy!

With gratitude

GILLIAN STUBBS