Why 2021 will be all about The Stockdale Paradox

These are the words of Admiral James Stockdale, who was a US prisoner of war in Vietnam for more than seven years.  

He managed to survive his terrible ordeal by embracing the harshness of his situation with a balance of healthy optimism – a view of a situation that is now termed the Stockdale Paradox.

The road ahead

As 2020 draws to an end with the knowledge that the Covid-19 pandemic will be with us for some time to come, it is clear that the sensible way forward is to accept this reality and make long-term plans accordingly – to embrace the Stockdale Paradox.

We’ve done that at our school. We all want everything to get back to how it was in 2019, but it won’t. We can’t simply beam back. So we’ve identified the upsides in what we’ve learned. 

Giving us optimism is our return to our wonderful campus after nine months online, and with that, tighten our grasp on our mission to nurture our students to be the best they can be for the world. 

Adapting to challenges 

Those at the top age group of our school left last June and are now at university. Our current A-level students are performing admirably. Our teachers are multitalented – more than ever before – and are handling direct and remote teaching. 

The use of technology as a teaching platform has been embraced by all, so much so that our idea to introduce a “provision of a Chromebook scheme” has been leapfrogged already by a “bring your own device” strategy.

Students pop a packed lunch, a drink and their favoured device into their backpacks at home to equip them for their day.

A smartphone isn’t good enough – it must be a laptop or tablet, and familiarity with one’s own device means downtime is reduced. Also, for those who need to leave school for illness or quarantine, support from us can continue. Parents haven’t blinked an eye at this.