Year 12 Pastoral Guardian
How Parents can Help us Find our Brave
Finding Your Brave is a uniquely personal challenge, whether you are a student, teacher, parent, or anyone for that matter; every human has struggles - storms that can threaten to dampen our glimmers of hope. Firstly, what does it even mean to be brave? The Oxford dictionary defines brave as: “ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage”; yet being brave often goes much further than the definition provided. Bravery comes in a plethora of shapes and sizes. On some days being brave might be trying out for that sports team, or speaking on assembly; other days it can be simply answering that question in class or finding the strength to come to school. Regardless, bravery has a different form in everyone; it fits into the puzzle of who we are as an individual.
(Expressworks, 2020)
Often students are scared to acknowledge their fears; sailing towards those dark clouds that can cause our minds to avert back to shore. However, to understand bravery, one must understand our enemy: fear. Acknowledging and understanding our fears is one of the first steps in finding our brave and reaching the destination to which we ought to travel. As mentioned by Kovie Biakolo, “Fear is the thing that paralyses, while bravery is the thing that frees”.
Sometimes a single conversation can help us tap into our fears, whether that’s a casual conversation in the car on the way to school, or a sit-down chat while watching TV. These interactions with our family, friends, or teaches often act as a catalyst for us to acknowledge what we are most afraid of. Once we shine some light on our fears, we can tackle them head-on and begin to settle in what we regard as the ‘unknown’.
(Central Exchange, 2018)
With such a leap of faith, bravery requires endurance, persistence, and perseverance to stay true to that fear you are trying to conquer. Being a student can be extremely challenging, especially attempting to find your voice in your community; however, with the support of parents, family, or friends, we are reminded to continue preserving through those rough waters. Small acts or words can make a major difference, whether that’s someone congratulating us on our test result, or acknowledging the extra hours of study we are putting in; these little things can help us navigate through our storms. Finding our brave is a journey - a journey in which we have to be willing to risk the possibility of immense waves, lightning, and thunderstorms. However, the support we receive from those around us helps us grow, learn, and become much closer to our destination.
It is also important to remember that bravery isn’t a trait that we either possess or we don’t. Bravery is something we do. It is available for everyone. So, with that in mind, following are a few student perspectives on how our parents can aid us in our journey to find our brave.
Sophia Fasone
Encouraging our sense of adventure and celebrating our courage, while giving us space for imperfection so we can grow.
Amy Turner
By encouraging us to reach our full potential and to be ourselves, no matter what the situation.
Jaide Boccalatte
Parents can help us find brave by checking in on us for things like study for mocks and externals, workload, and overall how our days are going.
Erin Jones
By encouraging us to strive for our upmost best.
Jeeva Ajimon
As inspired young women of Mount Alvernia College our parents can help us find our brave by showing their full support and helping facilitate our hopes, dreams, and desires.
Emma Stone
