--- title: The Importance of Taking the First Step | Learning at NIS description: Meaningful learning begins with a first step. 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Stories](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/en) > - The Importance of Taking the First Step ## NIS Stories # The Importance of Taking the First Step [Matthew Parr, Head of School](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/en/author/matthew-parr-head-of-school) May 31, 2026, 12:15:00 AM ![NIS Class of 2026](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/hs-fs/hubfs/2025-26%20Blog%20Photos/NIS%20Class%20of%202026.png?width=1280&height=720&name=NIS%20Class%20of%202026.png) This time of year in schools around the world means one thing. Graduation! And NIS is no different. At NIS, there is a tradition. The senior class chose a motto, and I am challenged to weave it into my graduation remarks. Some years are easier than others. This year, they were kind to me. They gave me a motto that really helped me think about them, our school, and the purpose of education itself: "Now or Never." At first glance, it sounds urgent. It speaks to seizing the day, taking the chance, and living in the moment. And of course, there is truth in that. There are moments in life when hesitation is the worst option. Opportunities do not always wait for us. Sometimes, if we miss them, they are gone. But what I appreciated about the Class of 2026 is that they did not understand “Now or Never” as a simple instruction to take chances now or regret them forever. They understood something deeper. One student described it as the importance of taking the first step. Not because everything has to happen immediately, and not because every opportunity disappears forever if we don’t, but because nothing meaningful can begin unless someone is willing to start. ![NIS Class of 2026 Now or Never Theme](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/hs-fs/hubfs/2025-26%20Blog%20Photos/NIS%20Class%20of%202026%20Now%20or%20Never%20Theme.png?width=780&height=439&name=NIS%20Class%20of%202026%20Now%20or%20Never%20Theme.png) The future always starts with the smallest of ‘nows’. And that idea aligns closely with how we think about learning at NIS. Learning is not a now-or-never one-time event. It is a process of discovery, trial and error, reflection, and consolidation. And it starts with that first step. Asking a question when you are not sure. Writing a poem and asking someone to read it when you don’t know if it is ready yet. Trying to plan a budget for the prom. Each learning starts with taking the opportunity of the present. Starting with the now. This is why our [learning principles matter](https://www.nis.ac.jp/about/our-guiding-statements/our-learning-principles). We talk about “good struggle” because growth rarely happens when everything is easy. We talk about authentic contexts because learning becomes deeper when it connects to the world students actually inhabit. We talk about feedback loops because learners grow when they understand where they are, where they are trying to go, and how to move closer. We talk about co-constructed learning because students need opportunities to shape their own pathway. And we talk about emotions because confidence, belonging, anxiety, courage, joy, and fear are not separate from learning. They are part of it. ## NIS Learning Principles ![NIS LEARNING PRINCIPLE 1](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/hubfs/2025-26%20Blog%20Photos/NIS%20LEARNING%20PRINCIPLE%201.png) ![NIS LEARNING PRINCIPLE 2](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/hubfs/2025-26%20Blog%20Photos/NIS%20LEARNING%20PRINCIPLE%202.png) ![NIS LEARNING PRINCIPLE 3](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/hubfs/2025-26%20Blog%20Photos/NIS%20LEARNING%20PRINCIPLE%20%203.png) ![NIS LEARNING PRINCIPLE 4](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/hubfs/2025-26%20Blog%20Photos/NIS%20LEARNING%20PRINCIPLE%20%204.png) ![NIS LEARNING PRINCIPLE 5](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/hubfs/2025-26%20Blog%20Photos/NIS%20LEARNING%20PRINCIPLE%20%205.png)     In my graduation remarks, I spoke to the Class of 2026 about Hokusai, the great Japanese artist whose work many of us know through the famous wave off Kanagawa. Hokusai seemed to understand this relationship between the present moment and lifelong growth. He dedicated each day to learning, yet even late in life, he believed he had not fully arrived as an artist. For him, the “now” mattered precisely because he understood that mastery was never finished. Each day was a chance to notice more carefully, practise more deeply, and become more fully the artist he hoped to be. That is a powerful model for learners. Not arrival - but becoming. The Class of 2026 gave us a wonderful example of this in the orchestra that some of them created earlier in the spring. A group of students decided that what the world apparently needed right now was a version of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony arranged for every possible instrumentalist from Elementary School to Secondary School, complete with staff and a full four-part harmony choir. Some people thought it would fail. Too ambitious. Not possible. But they took a leap of faith. They jumped into the unknown. They created their own now. And the result was amazing. That is learning. Not as a worksheet completed. Not as a box checked. But as confidence, responsibility, belonging, and growth become visible. Students who see themselves as capable learners who are able to impact the world. At NIS, we do not want students only to wait for opportunities to arrive fully formed. We want them to develop the confidence, responsibility, and sense of belonging that allow them to create opportunities of their own. We want them to understand that their identity as a learner is not something they discover all at once, but something they build through choices, relationships, challenge, reflection, and action. Graduation is one of those moments where all of this becomes visible. We see the diplomas, the university pathways, and the caps and gowns, all of which speak to success. But we also see something deeper: young people who have learned to step into challenges, create moments, build community, and keep becoming. So, congratulations to the Class of 2026. Thank you for reminding us that education is not only about preparing for the future. It is about learning how to create it. Life is always now. And it is also, beautifully, never.   - M. Parr, Head of School, Nagoya International School     [Back to Top](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/en/importance-of-taking-the-first-step-learning#top) [![NIS Japan](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Nagoya_Iternational_School_June2020/images/footer-logo.svg "NIS Japan")](https://www.nis.ac.jp/) Nagoya International School 2686 Minamihara, Nakashidami, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya, Japan 463-0002 T: +81-52-736-2025 admissions@nis.ac.jp    info@nis.ac.jp [NIS Portals](https://nis.openapply.com/) [Apply Now](https://nis.openapply.com/) - [Calendar](https://www.nisjapan.net/fs/pages/403) - [Visit](https://www.nisjapan.net/fs/pages/329) - [SAT Testing](https://www.nisjapan.net/fs/pages/430) - [Portals](https://www.nisjapan.net/fs/pages/699) - [Summer Program](https://www.nisjapan.net/fs/pages/699) - [Site Map](https://www.nisjapan.net/fs/pages/4) - ![CIS](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Nagoya_Iternational_School_June2020/images/cis-logo.svg) - ![WASC](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Nagoya_Iternational_School_June2020/images/wasc-logo.svg) - ![IB World School](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Nagoya_Iternational_School_June2020/images/ib-world-school-logo.svg) - ![jcios](https://blog.nis.ac.jp/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Nagoya_Iternational_School_June2020/images/jcios.png?width=68&name=jcios.png) - Ⓒ Nagoya International School 2026 - [Privacy Policy](https://www.nisjapan.net/fs/pages/7)