Students - Unfinished Works of Art!

A saying I remember from my childhood goes along the lines of “Be patient with me – God’s not finished with me yet!” It went along with another truism; “Hire a Teenager while they still know everything.” The two sayings capture some of the reality and frustration of Primary and Secondary students. During childhood and adolescence, they are unfinished products, growing and maturing quickly but have not yet arrived at adulthood. At every stage there is a strong desire for independence but not necessarily acceptance for the consequences of responsibility. A key frustration is that as children grow they may think that they know a lot more than they really do, at times even believing that adults around them are clueless. They crave increasing amounts of independence. Whilst it can be a challenging stage for parents and teachers (and for themselves), one must be mindful that the stages of the school years are periods in which they are passing through a socially, emotionally and physically turbulent time during which they develop and change at a sometimes rapid rate. The bodies and brains are growing and changing. They make mistakes and don’t always see things the way they really are. High expectations from the adults around them is a really important factor for students at school, and it is vital that students at this stage feel understood and supported whilst on the path to adult maturity. Evidence tells us that the existence of boundaries at all stages is not harmful but helpful for students and we should resist the temptation to drop them to create peace. Most children go through some bumps during the school years but emerge as confident and delightful young adults, no matter how difficult some of the challenges may be, whether in Primary or in the early years of adolescence. As I look at our fabulous Year 12 students at Calrossy, I see a high level of maturity, that has developed over their individual journeys.

A couple of thoughts that are helpful in managing students at every stage include:

Keep talking to our children. Whilst they are increasingly seeking validation from their peers as they grow, relationships with parents and significant adults are important, as much as they might push back.
Get to know their friends and the parents of their friends.
Seek balance between guidance and independence. Too much one way or the other stifles growth and resilience.
Provide support and set limits.
Praise effort and find areas of strength to celebrate with our students. Adopt a ‘growth mindset’, building on success and growing confidence in them.
Help them to take on ownership for their own progress, holding them to high expectations but being realistic as well.
Allow them to make mistakes but also help them to understand that actions have consequences.
Recognise that towards adolescence, they make large leaps in the way they think, reason and learn.
Organising and planning are important skills to achieve and they need to be learned. Students may require structure to assist them in this.
Be a positive role model. Students learn what is acceptable as much from what adults do as from what they say.
Keep things in perspective and retain a sense of humour.

Personal growth is a timely process where important lessons are learnt, essential skills are developed and during which many changes take place, emotionally, physically and socially. A firm focus must be kept on the ultimate goal of developing confident, articulate and successful young adults who are ready to face the challenges of the adult world beyond school. Childhood and adolescence are travelling part of the journey, not the destination. Given time, support and appropriate nurture, our valuable pieces of art will transform and develop into ‘Masterpieces’!!!

“Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1: 5-8

Some Quick Tips to Help Students to Relax

The Covid-19 period has caused a disruption to our lives, leading to anxiety and some uncertainty. Stress or concern inhibits success at school and can lead to anxiety, insomnia and disengagement. The daily demands of life, the challenges of relationships, family, and a busy co-curricular life can lead to an overwhelming feeling of stress, even in normal times. Some simple steps can support students in keeping a positive balance and managing the demands of successful school lives. Here are some proven techniques to help older students relax and eliminate stress from minds and bodies. I share them to parents as many of these ideas can be used to support their growth of students in the Infants and Primary years as well.

1. Eat in Moderation

Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast. Breakfast replenishes your body and helps you start your day full of energy. Eat three main meals, and two to three snack meals a day. Eating five to six times in a day keeps your blood sugar levels balanced, giving you an overall sense of well-being needed for focusing on your tasks and responsibilities.

2. Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise, at least three times per week for a minimum of 30 minute sessions, can virtually “soak up” stress chemicals in your body and help you to relax and even sleep better. Brisk walking, aerobic classes, swimming, bike riding, or jogging are great exercises to release stress buildup and relax your body and mind to either start or end your day right.

3. Remember to Breathe

When you feel your body start to tense, especially in your shoulders, chest, and abdomen when faced with a stressful situation, stop and take a few deep, slow breaths. If you are entering into a stressful situation, breathe slowly and evenly, using diaphragmatic breathing. This is a technique where you focus your breathing on your diaphragm where your belly rises and falls with each breath. Diaphragmatic breathing allows you to calm your nerves and relax your body and mind as your attention is placed on your breath.

4. Take a Time Out

As you go through your day, take little breaks, about two to five minutes, to relax and unwind. Whether it’s sitting quietly, listening to relaxing music, prayer or meditation, take a moment to place yourself in your own calm state.

5. Pursue an Interest

Find something that you enjoy doing that is relaxing for you. When you find an interest that matches your personality, you can not only unwind and release stress, but engage your creativity in expressing yourself. This could be through painting, playing basketball, writing, playing a musical instrument, or signing up for a class that you have always been wanting to take.

6. Have a Support Network

Create a support network of close friends or family that you can turn to in times of stress. Good and loving relationships are key for your well-being and happiness. It makes you realise what is important in life and where your energies should be placed.

7. Avoid Bad Habits

When you are under stress, it is easy to turn to your established bad habits to deal with the stress. These habits are negative and will not take away stress, but only prolong it. The best way to avoid bad habits is to create new positive habits. Here is how to create a positive habit:

Decide on the habit. Will you go for a walk each morning, go to the gym, take time out to do something special for yourself?
Decide on where and when you will do this new habit. Choose a time and place and continue this new activity for 3 months (it takes around 66 days to establish a habit).
Reward yourself each time you do this new activity. You may simply take a moment to notice how good it feels.

These tips come provided by Rocky Biasi from Human Connections. https://humanconnections.com.au/ He is a specialist in the field of peak performance and wellbeing.

Congratulations to Youth Representatives

Congratulations to Tahlia Barwick (Year 10) who has been selected as a member of the NSW Youth Advisory Council, representing our School, region and the youth of NSW on this important forum.

In addition to Calli Nagle and Lily Ausling (Year 10), the following students have also been selected as members of the Tamworth Regional Youth Council.

Callum Davies (Year 11), Tahlia Barwick (Year 10) Meg Watson (Year 9) and Mannat Uppal (Year 10). Congratulations to each for getting involved in being a voice for our regional youth.

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