Fall Seven, Rise Eight

Some of our recent weekend fun has included encouraging our 3 year old grandson to learn how to ride his bike. He is super excited about the prospect of keeping up with his big sister at the park, but the reality is that his little legs are still building up the strength to be able to competently push the pedals fast enough to build momentum and help him find his balance on the bike. 

Together with his parents, we have tried all sorts of tactics – pulling the bike with a rope as he learns to push down, running alongside the bike to hold it up as he pedals, and even running backwards while propping up the handle bars as he rides towards us. 

There have been moments of short success, but also times when he has fallen off, cried and been reluctant to try again. We are at the stage where more often than not, he is seen walking his bike home, rather than riding it – with a feeling of defeat from a task that he is finding too hard to accomplish! Resilience develops over time – sometimes a long time, and that is ok!

There is an old Japanese saying, Fall seven, rise eight! Developing the kind of hope that builds resilience and grit is founded on the idea that we need to learn to get up again if we fall. It is a hope that cultivates growth, learning and a belief that tomorrow will be better than today. Our grandson is still learning to develop this hope in relation to his bike riding. And we know that as his cheer squad, it is our job to help him foster this growth mindset and resilience for not only this skill, but the many other challenges that life will present him in the future.

Regardless of the skill – riding a bike, writing interesting sentences, making new friends, playing an instrument or dealing with disappointment, to develop resilience and work towards a level of ‘mastery’, we need to value the idea that we Rise after falling! At our assembly on Tuesday, a video showcasing some incredible Olympic athletes’ resilience after a ‘fall’ or disappointing outcome was used to demonstrate the importance of learning to pick ourselves up after a fall, or when things do not go as planned or hoped.

Every day presents the opportunity for our students (and us) to develop grit and resilience. We can follow in the footsteps of the ‘giants who have gone before’ – heroes from the Bible, inspirational people in our own lives, and of Jesus himself who endured the cross knowing the joy that we would experience as a result of His perseverance and resilience.

It’s one thing to foster this type of resilience. It’s another thing to know that we have the promised help of the Holy Spirit who supports, encourages and provides us with the strength we need each day to persevere. May we continue to grow in character, modelling our lives on Jesus, with the help of ‘Him who gives me strength’ Philippians 4:13.

Announcement

We are pleased to announce that Jo Bryant will be stepping into the role of Head of Junior Primary during Catherine Fernihough's maternity leave. 

Jo brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to our students' growth and development, and we are confident she will provide excellent leadership and support to our Junior Primary team.

Catherine will be on maternity leave starting Monday 7 October. During her absence, Jo will be the primary contact for any matters related to the Junior Primary.

Please join us in welcoming Jo to her new role and offering her your full support.