Our School Values – Dynamism
7 October 2025 - All
Dynamism. It was recently crowned the ‘most irrelevant’ School Value in a poll conducted by The Publication, Wycombe Abbey’s pupil-run magazine. I concur that ‘dynamism’ is an enigmatic term, but I also believe that it is a fundamental part of what makes a world class learner and is something I see on show every day at Wycombe Abbey. What follows is a short deep dive into, and defence of, dynamism.
The first instance of the word ‘dynamism’ dates back to the 1830s, but it ultimately derives from the Ancient Greek word δύναμις, which means ‘strength’ or ‘power’. To be powerful is to have great force or energy, and this is how dynamism is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary: ‘the quality of being characterised by vigorous activity and progress’. You can understand why ‘dynamics’ is the term used by musicians to describe the shifts in energy put into a sound to make it louder or softer; why physicists refer to ‘dynamics’ when dealing with the forces that cause or change motion; and why Nobel named his powerful explosive ‘dynamite’.
‘Dynamite’ is also used figuratively to describe someone who exudes brilliance, and it is this aspect of dynamism that I observe all the time in my lessons. To me, a dynamic pupil is one who is energised to learn. You see their dynamism in the way they arrive at your classroom ready to learn with their books open; the way they sit up straight and watch and listen intently to your explanations; the way they answer your questions so effusively; and the way they approach and grasp new concepts with eagerness and enthusiasm. Dynamism is what makes a Wycombe Abbey pupil thrive on the swift pace of a 35-minute lesson, on the variety of a 12-period day in which they jump from Physics, to Latin, to Chinese, to Drama (and that’s just the morning!), and on the multiple extra-curricular commitments they uphold.
I would argue that you cannot have excellence – the ‘most relevant’ School Value, according to The Publication poll – without dynamism. Dynamism is the energy, the force, with which pupils strive to exceed expectations and reach their potential. Dynamism is my favourite School Value, and I hope to see a rise in its popularity in the next pupil poll!
Miss Charlie Pemberton
Teacher of Classics.
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