Principal's Piece
Mr Saxon spoke to us all about ATTITUDE.
He said that our attitude defines our altitude or outcomes.
He also said “If it is to be, it is up to me.”
Ryan spoke to us all about Respect.
In particular, he mentioned that we need to have respect for ourselves.
The purpose of my talk today is to put these two messages together and unpack them a little bit further.
Having a positive attitude and having respect for ourselves work together in the sense that we need to believe in ourselves. If you think you can or if you think you can’t - you are right! - Henry Ford
Self-belief means that you back yourself to give it your best.
I see too many students taking a negative approach through fear of failure. It sounds like this - “I’m not sure that I can pass this test, so I won’t try or make an effort, then I can say I didn’t fail, I just didn’t try.”
But for many other ordinary, average young people, the effort that they make to revise and prepare and practise turns out to pay off and they gain success.
Pay attention in class and your teachers will be showing you HOW to go about doing that preparation and revision. The learning activities in each lesson are geared towards taking you through the steps you need to be ready to take the test. So keep a positive attitude about each task and activity.
Those students hiding in the back row, in the corner, staring out the window - my question for you is: don’t you think that your future is worth investing in? As Ryan said - respect yourself - let your actions show that you value your learning. To truly develop a strong character, you will copy the effort and attitude that you naturally give to your favourite activities, when you are facing challenges with matters that don’t come easily to you.
Here is an example: if you can ride downhill fast, then you are using focus to scan ahead; quick reactions to respond to unexpected twists and bumps; coordination to bring all parts of your body into the correct alignment; and above all, a positive attitude that gives you the courage to make good judgements. You can transfer this positive attitude to your classroom learning. A strong character is a person who maintains these high expectations of themselves, regardless of the setting they are in.
It is not anyone else’s job to hand over to you a gift-wrapped future. The responsibility lies with you. Develop a growth mindset that says I can keep working on this.
So whatever it is that you are working towards, show respect for yourself by making a worthwhile effort. Your time and your future are both precious. Start now to develop a habit of expecting a good effort from yourself. And don’t be selective about it, making excuses for not trying like “I’m not talented at this subject.” Perhaps your struggle areas are the ones you need to make an extra effort to focus, ask questions, buddy up and keep trying in.
Our student growth profile includes the star of Self Awareness. It is broken down into the key words: resilient, positive attitude, committed and growth mindset.
You can see from the design of this blade of the star, that learning is not a straight line. It is like a spiral - you learn one thing and you use that to build on new and more complex ideas. Sometimes the spiral of learning gets messy and complicated so to cope with that, you need the skills of bouncing back when you fail and trying again; believing in yourself that you are worth the effort to keep trying; stay with it and don’t give up easily; remember that it takes time and practice to master new skills. With a positive attitude and strong self-belief, your future will be bright.
Mrs Carloyn Fordyce
Deputy Principal