Respect for women defines the men we become
As we begin Term 4, I welcome our boys and families back for the final term of the year. This is a busy and important period, with senior examinations approaching and many opportunities ahead to celebrate the effort, progress, and contributions of our boys. It is also an appropriate time to reflect on the deeper purpose of a Christ’s College education and the qualities we hope our young men will carry beyond the school gates.
Last term during one of our assemblies, I took the opportunity to thank our boys for the manner in which they responded to an incident that occurred outside school. I had been speaking to a teacher at one of our local girls’ schools, and she told me about a situation in which our boys had intervened at a party where one of their girls was being mistreated.
In a situation where it might have been easier to remain silent or leave the responsibility to someone else, they recognised that something was wrong and stepped forward. Such moments reveal whether the virtues we speak about are becoming virtues our boys live by.
At Christ’s College, we carry a significant responsibility. How we value women, as a boys’ school, says a great deal about the kind of men we are and the kind of society we are helping to build. My message to our boys is that respect is not simply about avoiding inappropriate behaviour; it is about having the courage to challenge attitudes and behaviours that diminish others. Our role, alongside families, is to help our young men understand the influence they have and encourage them to use it well.
Many of our young men will one day have families of their own. Their children will watch how they speak to their partners. They will learn what respect looks like by observing them. They will learn about compassion and humility from the example they set every single day. That is a significant responsibility.
The world does not need more successful men who lack character. It needs men whose success is built on character. Men who lead with courage and conviction.
As we move through this final term, I want our boys to approach their learning with purpose and ambition, while remembering that their conduct matters just as much. Our vision of educating boys to be men of virtuous character who make a positive difference finds its fullest expression in the choices they make, particularly when no teacher or parent is there to guide them.
When I heard this story about our boys, I thought: that is what it means to be an educated man.
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