Creating Ripples

A teacher gave her students a simple task: she handed each of them a small pebble and asked them to drop it into a still pond. As the pebbles disappeared beneath the water, the students watched as ripples spread out, growing wider and wider until they reached the edges of the pond.

She then asked, “What do you notice?” One child responded, “A tiny pebble made a big difference.

”As parents, we often wonder if our small actions - our words of encouragement, the moments we take to listen, the prayers we say over our children, and the lessons we teach at home - truly make a difference. In the busyness of life, it can be easy to overlook these small moments. But just like the pebble in the pond, every kind word, every moment of patience, and every little extra effort we give sends ripples into our children’s lives that extend far beyond what we can see.

Sometimes, we might not see the immediate effects of our efforts. A lesson taught today may not be understood until years later. A word of encouragement spoken in a difficult moment may be remembered when our child faces a future challenge. Our simple presence at a school event, a hug after a tough day, or the example we set in how we treat others - all these moments build character, resilience, and faith in our children.

Proverbs 22:6 reminds us, “Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.” This verse is a beautiful reminder that the seeds we plant today, even the smallest ones, will grow over time. Our role as parents and educators is not to see instant results but to faithfully nurture and trust that these investments will bear fruit.

So, I encourage you this week to pause and embrace the small moments. Your words, your presence, and your love are shaping the future in ways you may never fully realise.

Let’s continue to create ripples of goodness together, trusting that they will reach far beyond what we can imagine.

Mr Stuart Clark
Head of Primary