Principal's Page

Family Dinners

I love family dinners. I am referring to the everyday ordinary type when we manage to have the four of us seated around the table at the end of the day and the chance to chat freely, share highlights and lowlights from the day or week and enjoy a laugh and express our gratitude to God for all that He has provided us. Of course, I also love the special occasion dinners when we gather for an event and extended family members join us.

I believe that mealtimes are important teaching and learning times for adults and children. Family meals, through preparation, cooking, saying grace, taking turns to speak, asking each other questions, politely passing the sauce (etc.), clearing the dishes and finally washing up together can teach us relational and practical skills, values and attitudes that will serve us well throughout our lives. This occurs because we learn to understand each other better, we learn how to question and notice, engage and respond using emotion in various ways, concentrate and listen to others, immerse ourselves in something other than our self, express empathy and help others review and evaluate their own experiences. In other words, the dinner table is another classroom!

Well, this week delivered me two highlights. On Monday night I was invited to speak at the Strathalbyn Lions Club dinner by President Peter Broadbridge. I was speaking about my teaching career. I was thrilled to discover, included amongst the members present, there were people who either knew my first principal from when I commenced teaching, or knew a relation of a former colleague and a grandmother of a student my wife taught just last year. It was like being welcomed by family.

Then on Wednesday night three of our Year 12 students, Bianca , Jeremiah and April, put on an incredibly well presented and delicious meal in tapas style, which I enjoyed along with seven other guests. Congratulations to Bianca, Jeremiah and April, for completing their final practical for Stage 2 SACE Food Technology. I was grateful for an evening of engaging conversation and scrumptious food. I also came away from it having learned more about the talents and interests of the other guests, who are all part of my Tyndale family.

Sam Cheesman

Principal