Simon Hall writes:
A lovely piece of news has cheered my week.
It’s also vindicated that desire which often burns so brightly within us…
To invest in building a better future.
I’m not talking investing money here, but something far more precious:
- Our time
I suppose I could argue that all my teaching is an investment of my time in the future.
Whether it’s with the students here at Cambridge, helping them into careers in the media…
The researchers, to spread word of their brilliant discoveries…
Or the businesses, raising investment and attracting customers as they generate prosperity.
But all that I get paid for, and what I’m talking about here is my unpaid work:
Travelling around state schools, like my own, to try to raise aspirations amongst the young people.
In a strict business sense, particularly if I’m away for a couple of days, it’s hard to justify.
But, as ever with this thing called life, the feelings outweigh the facts.
Because, for me, school talks are probably the most fulfilling thing I do.
Which brings us to the happy news of the week.
At the end of October I travelled to my beloved Devon to give a talk at Exeter College, as I do every year.
My victims were a group called the Reach Academy, who are the most academically talented of the year.
Traditionally, for some reason, if they're interested in Oxbridge, then the majority apply to Oxford University.
As you can imagine, I saw that as something of a challenge!
So, how did the talk go?
Well, on the day, my exploration of some of the most important secrets of success in life seemed to go down very well.
We shall see in time how much inspiring it did, because here comes the punchline…
This week I heard from Exeter College that no less than…
22 students from the group I spoke to last year had not only applied to Cambridge University, but secured interviews for a place.
Now, I’m certainly not trying to take the credit for all of those.
But it was lovely to have the College write, thanking me for inspiring their students to aim so high in life, and trying to fulfil their wonderful potential.
The happy moral of the story being...
Sow the seeds that your heart demands, and it's remarkable what beautiful blossoms can flourish.
