Gervase Phinn: The kindness of children

The wonderful thing for me about young children is that everything in the world appears to them new and colourful and exciting. They know nothing of skin colour, race, religion or status. A smile is readily returned, they do not know how to curl a lip and, unlike some adults, they have not "done it all before" or "heard it all before". The worst kind of teacher in my book is the cynic, for children are too precious to be tarnished with rusty cynicism.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Jul 2010, 15:04 BST
Updated 13th Jul 2010, 15:04 BST

Earlier this month, I was appearing in the evening on stage at the Drill Hall in Lincoln. Since I would be in the area, Paul Strong, the head teacher of William Farr Church of England Comprehensive School, suggested that I might like to visit the school and read some poems and stories to the students. When I visit schools these days, I ask for a donation to one of the children's charities I support. Recently, the staff and students at Lady Lumley's School in Pickering sent me a substantial donation for Hurdles when I opened the new library. The charity Hurdles makes a huge difference to the quality of life for many severely disabled young people. I duly visited William Farr School and enjoyed an afternoon in company of a good few hundred smart, courteous and interested pupils. The school was cheerful, welcoming, the walls covered with students' work, the premises clean and bright with not a trace of litter or graffiti. Students moved around the building in an orderly manner, sat chatting in the classrooms at break and queued in an orderly fashion at lunch time.

Young people tend to get a bad press these days. We sometimes forget that there are many, many children who come from caring and supportive homes and are in the hands of dedicated and enthusiastic teachers. What impressed me most about the school was the amazing amount of money the students had raised over the years for so many different charities. They decide which charity to support and organise a range of fund-raising activities. Recently, the school was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship by the Rotary Club for its charitable work.

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Since I was appearing in Lincoln that evening, I thought it would be a good idea to invite the head teacher to join me on stage after the interval and for him to present the cheque to me personally. It would give me the opportunity of saying something about the charity and thank him and the students publicly for their generosity.

Mr Strong was saddened to hear on the way out of the theatre that evening a snatch of conversation: "Well, that was a clever way of publicising his school, wasn't it? Money well spent." It is indeed sad that such generosity is viewed in such a cynical way. Mr Strong and the students will continue to raise funds for charity despite such disparagement.

Perhaps they might take heart from the words of Mother Theresa: "If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give it anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it's between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

YP MAG 17/7/10

Related topics:LincolnStudents