Assistant Principal

Aaron Cox 

Assistant Principal

Latest research points to young adults who are more than comfortable putting themselves out there online. Developing ‘brands’ of themselves and valuing this type of social interaction as the way they believe society functions. This, however, means their ability to engage in small talk, problem solve, critically think, evaluate and read body language are diminishing at a rapid rate. Not to mention the ability to cook, paint a room or even garden. Technology has its place, but to what end? 

No one would argue that millennials are not confident. Dr. John Henry (Resilience researcher) would argue that over-confidence can be quite dangerous and result in people taking unnecessary risks. Just this week school leaders attended a leadership day with Brendon Spillane. He believes that, in the not so distant future, schools will focus predominantly on teaching children how to socialise, not how to learn. For me it is heart-breaking to think that school just might be reduced to such a scenario. 

Everywhere I look, be it in a restaurant, on the street, in a train, even a family sitting around the ‘idiot box’ at night time, are we allowing technology to rewire our brains to communicate only with those who share our views, have similar interests, and validate our online brand.

People would assume that I am a total technology geek, which at times, I confess I am, but when it comes to my nieces staying with me, they know there will be little to no technology over a weekend. We draw, open an art gallery in the garage and invite children from the area to join in. We even try and flog off some of the art to people walking past our house. We ride bikes, read books and play with the dogs. It’s exhausting, requires thought and effort but the kids don’t even think about technology. 

I hold out hope that there is more to look forward to, than a generation or generations of people who lose the capacity to interact with other human beings, accept difference and who do not have such a sense of entitlement to be willing to start somewhere other than at the top.

Charles J. Sykes once wrote ‘Some Rules Kids Won’t Learn in School’. Over the years these rules have been attributed to Bill Gates but Sykes was the original author. They are as true today as they were in 2000, albeit without some of the outdated technology references. Although more pertinent to older siblings, it does not hurt to start preparing your child at an early age to ensure your children become lifters, not leaners. Enjoy.

RULE 1 ... Life is not fair; get used to it.

RULE 2 ... The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

RULE 3 ... You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice president with a car phone, until you earn both.

RULE 4 ... If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.

RULE 5 ... Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping; they called it opportunity.

RULE 6 ... If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

RULE 7 ... Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So, before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try "delousing" the closet in your own room.

RULE 8 ... Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades; they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

RULE 9 ... Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summer off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

RULE 10 ... Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

RULE 11 ... Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Karate World Cup

After working hard to qualify for this event, Damian from 5/6B attended the Karate World Cup on the Gold Coast.  The competition was fierce and although he didn't bring home a medal, it was a great achievement to represent his country and finish in the top 20 in the world in his division. Damien demonstrated numerous thinking dispositions to do so well.

On behalf of the school community, congratulations Damien!