Teaching and Learning Corner

In the last newsletter, I shared thoughts about our Classroom Creed – Ready Respectful, and Responsive.  Now I am focussing on what it means to be READY, particularly having an expectation attitude. Students cannot learn if they are resistant or apathetic about what is going on in the classroom.

The key to developing an expectant mindset is to value learning and appreciate Australian children's opportunity to access education. For many children in the past, and even in the third decade of the 21st century, this is not their reality.

Hellen Keller was the first blind and deaf person to graduate with a degree in Arts from Harvard University. When as a seven-year-old she experienced the revelation that words spelled on her hand in sign language had meaning, she could finally make sense of the dark fog in which she lived. She later described this moment saying, “The word (W.A.T.E.R.) awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, set it free.”

None of our students face the hurdles Hellen Keller had to overcome but it is as true for them as it was for her – education is a light that illuminates even in the darkest of paths transforming obstacles into opportunities. 

Hellen Keller’s hunger to learn led to her eventually becoming a world-renowned lecturer and writer. She visited over 40 countries and became a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was also elected to the National Women's Hall of Fame at the New York World's Fair. Helen Keller is thus a model of resilience and determination. She reminds us that education is a precious gift, and that education is about unlocking the boundless potential within each person. It is about cultivating the courage to face adversity head-on, the curiosity to question the world around us, and the compassion to uplift others along our journey.

Our Classroom Creed encourages our students to RESPECT the opportunity to learn that is theirs every day; to celebrate their successes no matter how small, for successes are a testament to their resilience and tenacity; to embrace the challenges that they encounter, for challenges are the building blocks of character. 

It is my deep desire that for each of our students learning may, for them also, awaken their soul, give it light, hope and set it free.

Quote of the month

Proverbs 4:13 - Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; protect it, because it is your life.

Angela Landy

Head of Academic Culture