In the Wings
Picture this.
You’re backstage at a school event, the hum of anticipation filling the air, the lights glowing just beyond the curtain, the familiar rhythm of names, awards, applause. You’re in the quiet chaos of the wings, hands full, mind racing through the checklist, only you know by heart.
And then, in the midst of it all, a student appears and says, “Can I give you a hand, Ms Niven?”
It stopped me for a moment. Not because I needed help, I was managing fine, but because in that one small act, I saw something powerful. A student, in the busyness of the event, saw me.
That simple question, Can I give you a hand? carried more weight than they could ever know.
Because behind every polished event, every seamless moment, there are people quietly holding it all together. And sometimes, in the rush of it all, you forget that what you’re really building is not just an event, but a culture - one of empathy, awareness, and shared responsibility.
Moments like that remind me why we do what we do.
Not for the applause. Not for the perfection. But for our students.
For the way they grow, notice, and reach out.
For the small, human gestures that remind us that education isn’t just about outcomes, it’s about relationships, belonging, and the quiet power of kindness.
That student will never know what that moment meant to me.
But that’s okay. Because that moment is exactly why we do this work.
