With the end of term this week and Year 12 almost finished their face-to-face learning, it is good to take some time to reflect a little on the journey students take over their time at school. There has been a magnifying glass on the field of education over the past decade or more, talking about the purpose of education; our effectiveness to deliver the critical skills and knowledge that will train and equip students for the future; our relevance in a rapidly changing landscape etc… Despite all this background noise, not a lot has changed in education. Yes, we have introduced more technology and yes, there may be a different style of delivery, however, a classroom today will look and feel like the classroom a decade (or some would argue a century) ago. So, what is this journey all about? What is it that we are trying to do here for the community and for the students themselves?
I think the answer to this is not too complicated, it basically falls into 3 key areas:
Learning: there is a base knowledge that the community feels is foundational to the building blocks for success. At its simplest it includes mastery in Literacy, Numeracy, Technology and Communication. But complexity is built when we include specialist areas such as languages/ musicianship/ sporting specialties/ engineering prowess/ scientific thinking/ artistic skills etc. This is the most basic area we as a community expect a school to deliver.
Wisdom: we can call this ‘making good choices’, working through the complexities of successfully navigating adolescence, how to ‘live and thrive in a complex world’, ‘having the freedom to mature and grow up in a safe environment’, and doing all of this with a sense of honesty, integrity, and courage. The Bible helps to lay a foundation for our thinking across the College and Jesus calls us to establish and maintain good, loving relationships with one another including, teachers, students and parents. So, living in community has a reality that encourages us to walk with dignity, have robust relationships, make mistakes, and make corrections for the benefit of others and our own lives.
Service: This is an area that is not appreciated in our materialistic world. I grew up in a small country town and in my experience, the community were always doing things together. Town dances, working bees to develop community facilities, sporting competitions, support for others in a time of need. Old and young all in together. Our modern communities are far more independent with the focus on the individual. The focus on the individual is a message that is contrary to our core values. Thomas Hassall wants to empower young people to work together in teams, be that: sporting teams, debating, music ensembles, musicals, or special programs like Dukes etc. It is in these settings that we learn how to serve one another; we get into rhythm with God’s heart, and we grow and develop a mindset that will positively impact our community/communities wherever we go.
If our students graduating in Year 12 have a real sense of the simple plan above, then they will go out from Thomas Hassall with a foundation of a great education. I look forward to seeing what our 2023 Graduates achieve in the years ahead. I wonder if you can pray for our 2023 Year 12 students as they leave College and embark on the HSC Examinations that will take place in Term 4. Thank you for your ongoing support.