Thoughts from the Study
Morning Commute
I ran into school this morning at around 5:30am, along the Thames Path, through Richmond and up Kew Road just after sunrise, surrounded by glorious morning light and the stillness that comes with most people still fast asleep. I’ve decided that 5:30am (at least in late spring) is my favourite time of the day.
After a few months of commuting along the Thames Path early in the morning, I’ve accumulated a good number of “hello friends”, the kind you pass at the same time each day, in roughly the same place, and acknowledge with a nod, a smile, or the very British “Great weather today!” A few days ago, I ended up leaving a little later than usual because I couldn’t find my running watch. If you ask me, either my three-year-old Indigo or our seven-year-old Labrador hid it, but my wife would probably say otherwise.
The truth is, even without wearing a watch, I always know whether I’m on pace, a bit quicker, or (more often than not) slightly slower, judged by the point at which I meet these familiar faces. The avid birdwatcher is usually just in front of Marble Hill Park at around 5:40am. The fly fisherman (yes, in the Thames!) is casting from one of the moored barges at 5:50am, and by around 6:10am, I pass the gorilla statues on the Richmond waterfront. I then cross Old Deer Park, occasionally wading through floodwater, and make my way into Kew, passing the early commuters dashing for the number 65 bus.
I’ve come to enjoy the rhythm of it all, and it genuinely sets me up for the day. As someone who’s endlessly restless, I’ve realised that if I don’t make time to move before I sit down at my desk, I’m around 10% less productive. I recently came across a piece of research showing that simply having your phone nearby, even if you’re not using it, can reduce productivity by as much as 18%. So, by getting up earlier, exercising, and putting my phone in a drawer, I might argue I’m up to 28% more productive. Over the course of a week, that gives me 140% more capacity to pour into the gloriousness of Broomfield and our wonderful children.
Linking to this idea, we’ve been planning to launch a morning running club since the beginning of the academic year. Having been able to join in twice now, I couldn’t be prouder of the children who manage to arrive at school a little earlier to get in a 3km run before lessons begin. It is thoroughly enjoyable and gives me many opportunities to chat with the children about how they’re getting on and what they’ve been up to.
With around 34 runners, we make quite the scene moving through Kew, and we’ve received plenty of encouragement from local community members as we run down the road and back. It’s fun and it creates a real sense of community, but I think most importantly, it gives children across year groups the chance to bond and chat whilst just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. It doesn’t matter if you’re at the front or the back, or if you need to jog instead of run, or walk instead of jog, every step counts. Each child is creating their own Friday morning routine, passing the same people in Kew each week, and just like me, learning to judge their efforts by those they pass at certain landmarks along the route.
With the weather warming up and spring in full bloom around Kew, if any other children would like to join us for our Friday run and breakfast, please just let the office team know, we’d be delighted to have them on board.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend
Mr Anstey
Headmaster
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