As many of you would be aware, at Emmanuel Christian School, we have three core values. These are Faith, Hope, and Love.
When we read 1 Corinthians 13, we discover that Love is the most important. Verses form this passage quite often get quoted at weddings, trying to demonstrate how the new couple should interact with one another. However, in this passage, the Apostle Paul is actually writing to the Corinthians, addressing their desire to be motivated by self-interest and personal gratification and ultimately their lack of love for one another. The theme of this passage could be considered to be about an individual’s character development.
Character development is something we are continually trying to assist our students with. We are very aware that not all students are the same, and we also understand that kids are kids and there will be times when they stuff up and make mistakes. It is in those moments, that we have the privilege to be able to speak into the students’ lives and help them to grow by correcting and at times, disciplining. Obviously, we try to work in unison with all our families so students hear the same message at home and school. There is a motto that we have used in the creation of our aspirational values poster. ‘building character, builds success’.
Our aspirational values are, Integrity, Respect and Courage. In the July edition of the Harvard Business Review, Patrick Lencioni states, “aspirational values are those we need to succeed in the future but currently lack.” (July, 2014). Our aspirational school values of Integrity, Respect and Courage are values that we want to see in the character of all our students by the time they finish their schooling at Emmanuel. Our hope is that they aspire to be integral, respectful and courageous adults.
So, what can we do as parents, teachers and mentors to develop these values and build character in our young people. The most important thing we can do is to model appropriate behaviours and attitudes.
As a child growing up, respect was important. Everyone who was older than me, the next-door neighbour, my friends’ parents or teachers, it was expected that we address them as Mr or Mrs. Sadly, in today’s society, this common courtesy doesn’t appear to be as prevalent. Using manners almost appears optional for some. But this is where I believe we can make a difference, it is up to us to remind our young people to do these key behaviours. For example, when a child forgets to use their manners, don’t berate or lecture them on how disrespectful they are, gently remind them that using their manners is the right thing to do. Yes, they will forget time and time again but we need to continually remind them until they have the maturity to remember on their own.
Get out of your comfort zone and encourage your children to do the same. It is well documented that when we are in our comfort zone, we are actually unchallenged because it is safe and easy, it is where we are the most disengaged. It takes courage to step out of the comfort zone because there is a chance that we will fail. But we need to push through the fear zone and into the learning zone. The learning zone is where the real excitement happens, it is where we have successes and learn new skills which can then lead us into the growth zone where we become even better versions of ourselves. Being in the growth zone enables us to be motivated, be challenged and willing to take risks.
Change is never easy. But if we are to demonstrate integrity than we need to ensure that we are modelling the right attributes as parents. As I write this, I am well aware that I don’t always get this stuff right but each day I aspire to uphold our aspirational values of Integrity, Respect and Courage.
Drew Roberts — Deputy Principal