It is not easy to break through and establish new habits and new mindsets in order to get a fresh start in a new school year, but that is what we have been consistently calling students to at the start of a new year.
We have made a few changes to our processes that has demanded a more consistent and disciplined approach from students. The wearing of the school uniform, the emphasis on the College hat when they are outside and the call to complete all their schoolwork, both in class and at home, with diligence. I know there will be parents reading this thinking that we are too concerned with the small things, things that don’t really matter. If that is you, please hold your thoughts and read on for a bit….
We could drop our insistence of the hat, we could back off on our emphasis on being well dressed, we could allow boys to wear their hair long or cropped and patterned or choose to shave or not shave; we could allow girls to wear their fake nails and maintain their multiple piercings, after all this is now the norm in across our community and it looks cool, right? We could back off on the expectation that students complete their homework and allow students the freedom to engage in class as their interests or passions dictate. This is certainly more attractive and appealing to all our ‘independent hearts.’
I have been around for a while, and I have taught in more ‘democratic schools’. One might think that a more relaxed school environment would lead to happier, more satisfied and successful students, however, that was not what I experienced. As one famous person stated, “We are all creatures of habit!” If you quit when things get tough, it gets that much easier to quit the next time. On the other hand, if you force yourself to push through it, the grit begins to grow in you. (Edgar Rice Burroughs – Tarzan author)
Rice-Burroughs understood that when we are left to our own modus operandi it doesn’t take long to get into bad habits: the long sleep in, the late to school, the lack of care in dressing or the casual attitude to class work etc. Discipline breaks bad habits and gives us the freedom to establish new routines. Good structures and high expectations will reward those who establish fresh patterns of behaviour and new mindsets.
Please support us at home in establishing the College expectations summed up by the current theme: ‘On Time, On Task, With Respect and Gratitude’. When the going gets tough – be that on the training track, in the classroom or on the playground, we want to see our young people succeed. In most cases, good, clear, and well-communicated guidelines help us all to stay focused and on task.
Let’s have a great year together!
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him - James 1:12