Optimistic Perspective

As this year winds up, and we are busily continuing to plan for 2022, I think it is important for us to take some time out to reflect upon the year that has been.

I am sure that we are all in the same boat when we think of the many highlights that 2021 has provided, however, I am sure that we would all agree there have also been a few lowlights too.

Throughout this year, a word that has been heavy on my heart is perspective. As Christians, a biblical perspective is applied to all aspects of our lives. And particularly as educators, applying a biblical perspective to our teaching is also very important. Whilst this is sometimes hard, it is imperative for the students who have been entrusted into our care to receive this guidance.

Perspective, by definition, according to Google means: A particular attitude towards or way of regarding something; a point of view.

As the continuing COVID-19 pandemic causes grief across the globe, I found myself thinking a little while back about the world in which we live in and contemplating how we are dealing with and working our way through the busyness of life in spite of the ongoing complications. Whilst we haven’t been directly impacted by enduring lockdown periods, we certainly have still felt the impacts in one way or another. I think that the trend we are seeing through watching mainland Australia respond to COVID-19 is that as a society, we don’t do uncertainty very well.

For many people, particularly those on the mainland, certainty, and routine have been replaced by uncertainty and unpredictability. We can either lean into uncertainty and unpredictability and accept it, even embrace it, or we can suffer. Depending on your perspective, what’s going on will be viewed as either a minor or major event.

Just for a moment, I want you to imagine that we are being directly impacted by a COVID-19 outbreak and subsequently 10-weeks into a lockdown. How would you respond to the following question?

Are you stuck at home, or, Are you safe at home? Our answers will depend on our perspective.

During the last holiday break, I was chatting to a mate and he said to me, “I’ve got to take the kids to town to buy them new shoes.” As he made this statement, there was a hint of resentment in the fact he had to do it, and something about the way he said it annoyed me.

As I was driving home, I was thinking about this comment and again I started thinking about perspective. From time to time I will openly whinge about being a taxi for my boys. Most Saturdays are taken up driving from soccer oval to soccer oval for matches or refereeing, but I actually enjoy the opportunities to watch them play and to be in the car with them. Usually, it's just one of the boys and myself. I find it a great chance to have a chat. As we are sitting side by side, it is generally less threatening and they will quite often open up and talk about stuff they normally wouldn’t at home.

As I was thinking about this, it dawned on me why my mate’s comment was annoying. He said to me, “I’ve got to take the kids to town”. This statement reflects an expectation or entitlement. I think a better way to phrase it would be, “I get to take the kids”. This second statement shows more of a sign of appreciation and feeling lucky. By simply switching a vowel, from an ‘o’ to an ‘e’, it changes the perspective on what we are doing and our attitude changes as a result.

We determine our responses. Our perspective is what helps get us through difficult times. Some of you may have heard of the Stockdale Paradox. It is an inspiring story of James Stockdale who was a United States Navy vice admiral and aviator who was awarded the Medal of Honour in the Vietnam War, during which he was a prisoner of war for over seven years. The Stockdale Paradox was made famous in the Jim Collins book, From Good to Great. Stockdale believed:

You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and at the same time, have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.

Can you imagine, being a prisoner of war and embracing both the harshness of his situation with a balance of healthy optimism! The flipside to this mindset was the overly optimistic soldiers. During an interview, Stockdale was asked about those who did not make it and why, he replied with:

“Oh, that’s easy,” he said. “The optimists.”

“The optimists? I don’t understand,” I said, now completely confused, given what he’d said a hundred meters earlier.

“The optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.”

So as this year ends, I would like to encourage us to all be optimistic for the good times ahead but to not forget about the current realities that we face. With the recent addition of the COVID-19 variant Omicron, we need to remember to maintain high levels of hygiene, physically distance when appropriate and abide to set restrictions. With the right perspective, encouraging these practices will assist in us being able to enjoy the freedom we have living here in Tasmania.

Drew Roberts — Deputy Principal

Frenchmans Cap

I love creation. Mountains, valleys, rocks and flora soothe my eyes and refresh my soul. I’m not surprised Moses met God on a mountain, or that Jesus went to the Mount of Olives to pray and was transfigured on a mountain. I know God is everywhere, but I feel like the world gets quiet enough and my focus is clearer on a mountain.

My Mum died when I was thirty years old and I know I climbed Little Horn at Cradle Mountain and cried out my grief on it (quite loudly to my daughter’s surprise), knowing I was heard, understood, and loved by my Father God. I climbed Cathedral rock on my last, very sad, wedding anniversary and built a cairn and wept. Mountains have always been precious and significant to me. Of course they’re not just sad spots, but exhilarating and awe inspiring as well.

Last week I took a few days Long-Service leave and took on Frenchmans Cap in the West of Tasmania. It’s a four day walk with two, very basic huts, to stay in. I saw it last year on a trip to Strahan and thought I’d love to walk it. You have to carry all your clothes, bedding, tent, food, cooking equipment and anything else you may need. My pack was about fifteen kilos. I set out, with a group of four friends, ready for the challenge. I didn’t read too much about it and I remember last week, the day before I left, Ed Moroni chatted to me about it and told me it was one of the harder Tassie bushwalks. I felt a little disquiet, but I was committed and off I went.

The first day was fifteen kilometres through incredibly beautiful bush. There are two swing bridges and two quite arduous and long ascents. It’s the first day carrying your pack and it feels incredibly long and tiring. At the end of the first day you are rewarded with a cute little hut beside Lake Vera and large sleeping platforms to set yourself up on. The second day was mind-blowing. You only travel around six kilometres, but most of it is up. There are hundreds of steps, rock ledges, boulders, ladders, roots, logs and mountain sides to walk, climb and scamper over with your pack on! I found it extremely challenging.

“So, why the long bushwalk description? I think it’s a perfect metaphor for life.”

About two kilometres in I fell, face first, over a large rock. I landed on my arm and chest, but was then pushed heavily forwards with the weight of the pack. I ended up with my face stopping about 15cm from a large ugly rock. My right forearm took the brunt of it and was cut, grazed and instantly puffed up in a large bruise. Luckily my friends were nearby, and they could help. I was shaken and sore. The rest of the walk to the next hut at Lake Tahune was incredibly challenging. My fall had robbed my confidence and made every step a little harder. My mind went into overdrive worrying about my fitness, my balance, my agility, my madness at even trying to complete this walk. It also started raining, which seemed to match my mood and make everything a little harder. We reached the hut around 2pm, dropped our packs and set out on the summit track. I made it to North Col, about halfway up, just below Lion Rock. The non-stop rain and my fall made me cautious. Three of my friends did manage to summit, but I still believe they were slightly mad to do so in the conditions.

The next morning we started the long trek out in magnificent blue sky conditions. That was when I got to feel the exhilaration of being in the mountains and pride in what I had achieved. The Tasmanian wilderness is so amazing! We are so blessed to be able to go out into it. I love the Alpine Flora. All the amazing plants that survive in such rough conditions. They look like beautifully planted, meditative gardens which just ooze serenity. God feels so close and life and all its little worries, fall into mountain perspective and ease. Our final day was long, but the knowledge I was leaving my mountain home, made me cherish each moment.

So, why the long bushwalk description? I think it’s a perfect metaphor for life. A long journey with lots of trials and maybe even falls, but one we have no choice but to continue and hopefully learn from. Sometimes the rain falls, and sometimes it’s sunny. Our confidence can be taken from us, but with time and one step in front of the other, it will return. Others will go beyond us, and that’s okay, we are to walk our path not theirs. This world is both spectacularly amazing and frighteningly dangerous. We need to find the track and let others support us when we fall. Most of all, we need to know the Creator, let Him guide us and hold us and whisper His truth into our hearts.

May this Summer be one where you and your family take time to stop and wonder at both this incredible world God has created, and His incredible love and plans for you.

Blessings,

Annie Joy — Acting Head of Teaching and Learning

A ‘Big Picture’ Perspective

“Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise. Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding. Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor. ”

— Proverbs 15:31-33

We are well and truly gearing up for 2022. This is always interesting while we pour copious amounts of time and energy into finishing 2021.

A number of sources are guiding our steps to finish the year and ensure 2022 begins on a solid footing. The Bible is always in our thinking and the underpinning foundation of all we do. We have the Strategic Plan and School Operations Plan along with our ‘Plan-on-a-Page’. We also have the Endeavour Community Health Audit Report.

You may recall that the Endeavour Community Health Audit Report is the survey parents, staff, and students completed earlier in the year. My printed copy is getting rather tattered and has stick notes and annotation all through it. The report is a plethora of thoughts and considered guidance along with praise and concern.

The ‘big picture’ perspective this audit report gives us is invaluable.

The document provides senior staff with insight into a cross-section of our community thinking. Because of the size of the document, we are breaking it down into manageable bits.

A good example of how we use the report was evident in a point that came up in the survey by some people concerned about poor student behaviour. This was not a consistent issue but raised enough for us to address it. It was not news to us but helped confirm we need to revisit processes and tolerances for certain behaviours.

The home, student, school partnership is invaluable.

Scott Winkler — Principal

Relationships at School

One of the loveliest things I heard as we came out of distance learning last year was that a lot of students actually missed school! When I asked why, they shared that they missed their friends, teachers and being able to ask for help when in classrooms.

School can be a tricky place to negotiate with students needing to work out friendships, studies and subjects they are choosing as well as getting to know teachers.

Having positive relationships between students, teachers and parents works in the best interests of children as they are able to benefit from the academic and social rewards. These can include feeling like; being able to approach a teacher for help, improved academic results as well as improved attendance.

When students have positive relationships and are respectful of each other, similar benefits are gained, including a sense of belonging, social skills and a positive attitude towards school.

When we triangulate communication between students, parents and teachers, schools get the best our of students.

“When we triangulate communication between students, parents and teachers, schools get the best our of students. ”

They become aware of not being able to get away with behavior through to knowing that they are supported to become better learners.

It is difficult with time constraints on modern families to build relationships with teachers in high school. The easiest and biggest thing you can do for teachers is call them if you have any concerns regarding your child. This could look like a change in behavior which often signifies possible trauma through to questioning how they are going at school. Other great relationship builders for school communities are coming into school events such as information nights, parent teacher, school welcome barbecues or by offering to help out around the school in a parent help capacity.

I am also encouraging teachers to do the same, calling you if they have a concern about your child, or to celebrate their successes in a day, week or term. I know it’s so good to get a call for something positive as we often expect the worst! Teachers are also always available in parent teacher nights and I encourage you to book in a time, even if it is simply to get to know who your child’s teacher is.

We all live in a busy world which is why I feel it is more important than ever to make sure we connect with each other, so we can support each other as parents, teachers and students to get the best out of your child’s schooling. Please feel free to call your teachers at school if you want to know anything about their education or school life. We appreciate the feedback you give us.

Ed Moroni — Secondary Coordinator

Do Your Best

This is a motto that I often repeat to myself daily; Do Your Best. After all, I can’t do any better than that. Regardless of the planning or lack of, regardless of my ability, regardless of my experience, regardless of my preference, I can still do my best.

This can be tricky for the current generation to conceptualise and apply when there is a multitude of data, results and feedback constantly provided. How we perceive these results and feedback will determine whether we learn from them or not. If we see result as the end destination, we will struggle to see continued progress. However, if we see them from a perspective of application of effort and attitude we can continually grow and learn.

There are a few things I encourage us to focus on when doing your best. Do not compare.

They say, comparison is the thief of joy, from my experience, this is true. I don’t want to start on a negative, but in life there is always someone better, bigger, stronger, smarter. If we are constantly comparing to others, it sucks our joy and happiness as we remind our self that what we’re doing isn’t good enough. Instead, we can compare ourselves to our own results and be able to track our own progress, regardless of others may perform.

Understand that your best looks different. We’re reminded in Psalm 139:14;

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well”.

When we insult the product, we insult the manufacturer. God is the creator of all the heavens, earth and you and I. When we look at our best and think that’s not good enough and start to get down, we need to realise that there’s nothing else, or more we can do than that. We need to accept and be okay with our strengths and weaknesses whilst still striving to improve and develop ourselves. All God wants from us it to apply our best, regardless of the end result and what that may look like.

Focus on the process, not the result.

As a parent, and teacher, one of the best ways to instill this mindset of doing your best, is through words of affirmation. Encouragement, not focused on the end result but on their effort, attitude and hard work. This harnesses and promotes purpose, and reason and celebrates effort not the final numerical value and result.

Reports will come out later this term, I encourage you not to focus on the results as the final outcome, but on the attitude and mindset of ‘doing your best’.

If we can teach our young people to be motivated by doing their best, they will overcome more challenges and difficulties, which creates constant progress and learning.

Francis Pascal — Acting Primary Coordinator