Principal's Reflections
I am rather astonished by the fact that people ring talk back radio to ask for help on complex questions and situations. Astonished because even if there is an acclaimed expert in the studio, the environment and the time limitations ensure that the reply can hardly be an adequate response.
On the other hand, you could say that at least these people asked for help, even if it was only directed to an impersonal radio station. How often do we hear the comments, “If only they’d told us! If only they’d asked! Then we would have been able to help.” I think at MFG our students mostly have a sense that there will be someone to help them if they ask. But we want to continue to work hard at ensuring that they know that - and ensuring that our responses are appropriate and helpful.
But, of course, it is a much wider problem in our society. There are unhappy people around who hate their jobs, hate their relationships, hate their lives… and they never tell anyone. They think there is no one to listen, no one to help, no one to trust. Mostly, they don’t know how to ask for help.
All of us suffer hurts and losses at times in our life and some of them can be very significant and long lasting. Of crucial importance though, is how we handle those situations without hurting or losing ourselves or hurting and losing others. For some personalities, or in some complex situations, that can be a difficult task, but experts do suggest some helpful strategies.
One of the on-going things that we need to do, they say, is to persistently hold out against the corrosive power of doubt, the doubt that undermines our confidence, the doubt that slowly moves us into a form of emotional self-destruction. We shouldn’t be reluctant to express our doubts and frustrations, but equally we need to challenge those destructive thoughts, even when our feelings would want to tell us otherwise.
Another strategy is rather more difficult for the reserved and private person or for the person who has built up an image of strength and self-sufficiency. We need to overcome those obstacles and put out our flag… Wave it about! Tell someone that everything with you is not OK. That you could do with some assistance here. That you don’t know what to do in your situation. Sure, many people will ignore your flag at first, especially if you’re not a noted flag-waver. They may miss your signals for a while. But keep that flag out! Eventually someone will notice.
The other thing worth remembering is expressed in this true story… On 16th October 1945, a group of six Jewish children of German nationality arrived in England. All were about three years old and each child had lost both parents to the Nazi gas chambers. They were placed together in an orphanage, where two psychologists had the opportunity to observe how they acted with one another. Their report was interesting. The six, tiny, orphaned children, previously unknown to one another, immediately set about helping each other. They picked up each other’s toys, they shared their food, they admired each other’s artistic creations, they hugged each other. By these simple actions, said the observers, these little children, in the midst of immense loss and tragedy, saved each other.
We hope our students and staff will feel they are in an environment where help and support is freely given. We hope too they will learn the fundamental lesson that by helping and supporting others, we actually build up our own emotional strength.
Student News
Congratulations to Allie Jokic 12A, who was recently welcomed into the Future Youth Leaders program of the Mental Health Foundation of Australia. You can learn more about this program here: https://www.mhfa.org.au/CMS/australian-future-leaders-program#:~:text=The%20Mental%20Health%20Foundation%20Australia,Program%20(MFLP)%20in%202019.&text=Applications%20for%20the%20program%20are,change%20within%20the%20school%20community.
Ms Michelle Crofts
Principal of Matthew Flinders Girls
