Year 10 Pastoral Guardian

This week you are probably finding yourself taking on another role in your home – calming exam jitters, motivating some last-minute study and high-fiving your child for an exam well done. While adolescents can find themselves caught up in the hype of exam block, it is actually a very influential time in terms of growth and development. Your child will gain valuable knowledge of themselves, their study habits and learn more optimal ways to cope with stress. It is also an ideal week to encourage your child to show gratitude. 

“Practising gratitude helps people feel more of the positive emotions, enable us to relish good experiences, improve our overall health, deal with adversity and build strong relationships”

Gratitude can change a life, especially during stressful and challenging times. The power of gratitude can take us from feeling uncertain to feeling more hopeful. There is a strong correlation between displaying gratitude and positive mental health, and it is in the act of giving gratitude daily that self-esteem and resilience are enhanced. It requires one to look outward, this does not come naturally to adolescents as they are yet to see life from different perspectives. Adolescents require more life experiences to understand the importance of showing gratitude and therefore require our timely reminders and role modelling to promote the practice of gratitude.

People who practise gratitude are more likely to experience more positive emotions more frequently. Researchers have found this to be the key to happiness as people feel more hopeful, energetic and improve their overall wellbeing. Happiness is a fluctuating state and often requires a lot of effort to achieve and maintain.

Happiness & Gratitude | Mount Alvernia College (schooltv.me)

This edition, I refer you to the Happiness & Gratitude section of the Mount Alvernia College SchoolTV. It is an outstanding resource. I found myself drawn to the leading experts in this field, as they each offer a unique perspective and realistic approach to happiness and the power of gratitude. I encourage you all to refer to this section and identify aspects that would be beneficial in your home and bring value to your child’s growth and development. Happiness & Gratitude | Mount Alvernia College (schooltv.me)

Currently in Year 10, students are encouraged to show gratitude to those around them and to the beautiful environment in which we learn. You may recall in a previous Parent Corner; I explained the implementation of a journal to Year 10 to enhance health and wellbeing. I regularly guide the students to write about what they are grateful for. I hope that by the end of the year, students will no longer require guidance, and that it has become a daily habit. Imagine the joy and hope this would bring to our community. 

My last recommendation is an idea I have implemented in my home – a family gratitude journal. As a family, most nights we have a conversation around the dinner table about what we are grateful for, and we write it in our journal. It is interesting to hear the thoughts from my two children, it gives me lots of perspective into their lives. I am very much looking forward to reading back over this at the end of the year – it is already bringing us lots of happiness.  

As always, please contact me if needed (richt@staff.mta.qld.edu.au).