Principal's Message
Over the last two weeks I have read two articles that, for me, sum up what our ways of thinking should be in dealing with this latest period of remote learning. The first was ‘This totally sucks!’ Teens, COVID and the Lockdown Lifestyle – tips from Andrew Fuller. To state the obvious, we are all over the plight we are in and we know that it is tough. But have faith and we will overcome. As we have found out, there will be ups and downs but we will get through this. I was taken by Andrew Fuller’s example of re-visiting what life was like when we were children. Remember how we could not leave the house unless someone came with us. Though we may have felt a bit trapped we found things to occupy our time, activities that bought us enjoyment. It may have been playing with lego, listening to music, riding a bike in the back yard or a spot of gardening. Fuller’s advice is to re-enter a child-like state and find these things again. I am sure that if you enjoyed these activities then you will get just as much pleasure now.
The article also discusses that “dark times don’t have to equal dark moods” and there are ways to feel “upbeat” like creating a music playlist that gives you energy. Andrew Fuller also describes his own version of CPR, that is, the three big factors to promote resilience. He promotes that we should:
Connect - reach out to a few people who make you feel lighter and more positive.
Protect - protect your own sense of calm.
Respect - respect yourself.
The article finishes off with a comment aimed at alleviating the anxiety that people are expressing that students are falling behind. As everyone is in the same position why stress. This is the same message that John Hattie, the Professor behind the well-known Visible Learning framework, is promoting. Hattie argues that there has been a great level of success during Covid teaching times. The lessons we have learnt are ones that can be taken into the classrooms onsite and we can get the best of both worlds. He believes that there has been “very high levels of ‘value-added growth’ during Covid teaching.” Although there is a need to be aware of the impact of these times on young people from a mental health point of view, there is evidence to show that they can bounce back with the right approaches when classes resume onsite. Hattie wants us to respond to anyone who says that there has been a loss in learning over the past 20 months with an emphatic “no” and focus on the great job done by all.
So as we come to end of Term 3 and all of us look forward to a restful break, I do offer my thanks to all students, families and staff for the great work that has been exhibited over this term. I believe that, through all the trials, much has been achieved and a platform built to assist us to continue to develop positively into the future. I look forward to welcoming our school community back onsite before too long. I pray that all your family, and all our communities, remain safe and well.
God bless.
Raymond Pisani
Principal
References:
https://educationhq.com/news/utterly-misleading-hattie-slams-learning-loss-rhetoric-102024/#