Door of Opportunity

Have you ever looked at a door and wondered what might be on the other side? Have you ever wondered where it might lead or what might be hiding behind? At first glance, a door is just a piece of wood, glass or metal that is opened and closed so that people can get in and out of a room, a vehicle or a space. But in the hands of a writer, a door represents a world of possibility, a world where things are not only hidden but often closed off and restricted. Doors are not only exciting for what may lie behind them, they can be designed to invite you into a new world.

Most of the doors that we pass through are familiar to us. We know what to expect when we go through our classroom door, our front door or our bedroom door. However, there is another type of door that we will all experience throughout our lives: a door of opportunity.

On the first Monday of term, I took assembly and talked about doors of opportunities. I asked the children if they could remember a time when they did something new. I asked the children how they had felt. “Worried! … Scared! … Excited!”

On that day, I encouraged the children, and indeed the staff, to open doors of opportunities that would be presented in front of them. Since then, Sofia Year 6N had opened the “door of netball successions and was really proud of herself.” Oscar Year 6N had opened the “door of business enterprise starting a shoe cleaning and polishing business.” Ambar Year 6B and Henry Year 6N then opened the “door of business enterprise too starting a car cleaning business” together. Darcie Year 6N opened the “door of Yorkshire County netball.” Clark Year 5 opened the “door of Ackworth tennis club.”

Our Year 3s explored ‘The door’, poem by Miroslav Holub, shared in assembly on that day, as a starting point for their performance poetry.

“For a few weeks, our English focus has been performance poetry. After an inspiring assembly by Miss Schoukroun, we looked at the poem ‘The Door’. We read this again together and discussed how we could perform it and which techniques we would use. We then edited the verses to make it our own, using techniques such as alliteration and adverbs. Finally, we practiced performing the poems aloud by projecting our voices, using expression and taking pauses for effect.”

Amy Slater, Year 3 teacher and Literacy coordinator

“In illustrating club, we made our own doors of opportunities! Inside our custom doors, we drew our passions. We drew things that we love and for which we would never pass up an opportunity to be there, or with them if it was a living creature. I drew a bamboo door with red pandas inside because red pandas are my favourite animal, and I find them fascinating.

I would never turn down an opportunity to be with them.”

Vida, Year 6N

The best secret to success is always to be ready to find and open the door of opportunity.

Sophie Schoukroun Deputy Head of Coram House

Afternoon Yoga