MR JEFF SYMMS
deputy h eadmaster h ead of preparatory
2
018 has come and gone and my reflection is that it was a very successful one for the boys of the Preparatory School. We witnessed so much growth in the boys across all spheres of endeavour – academic, social and emotional development, physical, cultural and spiritual. I sincerely congratulate the boys and teachers for the work they undertook together to ensure that most boys, most of the time, took advantage of the opportunities our school offers. They say that if you find something you love to do, you will never work a day in your life. I’m not sure about that, as there are certainly days which feel like hard work, but in general, the opportunity to spend each day surrounded by our terrific boys and their dedicated teachers is a real privilege. As the year concluded, I reflected with great pride on the strength of our community and was grateful that I was able to be part of it. Gratitude had been a key feature of our year’s work with the boys in 2018. We had learnt that gratitude is more than just saying thanks to someone; it is actually not just an ‘action’, but also a positive emotion, which serves an important purpose.
In 2018, different programs were implemented across the School to help the boys focus on being grateful. Our chapel services, for example, quite often helped the boys to see what is important in life and provided strategies to help them avoid negative behaviours.
The things our boys really value, are their relationships with their loved ones. Time spent with parents and family. Good times with mates. Having someone to share with, someone who listens to them, someone who loves them.
Another example is that the boys in Year 2 kept a ‘Blessings Book’. Within it, they reflected their gratitude, and in so doing helped focus on the positive in their lives and kept perspective around the negative.
None of them mentioned expensive holidays or a big house. Boy after boy after boy recognised what is really important – the relationships they have with those closest to them.
One of the key benefits of the Blessings Book is that it helped the boys to build a gratitude habit. Feelings of gratitude can happen spontaneously, but deliberately counting our blessings on a regular basis, paying attention each day to the things we are glad to have in our life, helps us to slow down and take notice. The boys were being actively taught to build their gratitude habit. And what are they grateful for?
The research tells us that because being truly grateful is a selfless act – we show appreciation to someone or something ‘unconditionally’, it works on our wellbeing because it authentically connects us to other people. It also generates reciprocity, that is, others will be more inclined to demonstrate their gratitude to us in return. 62
SOUTHPORTONIAN
Family, friends, love, grandparents, dad, mum, sisters, brothers, playtime, teachers, trees, God, food and shelter. The common thread? I could not find one boy who was grateful about having stuff! There was the occasional mention of a toy or video game or similar. But these were so few and far between that they are not statistically relevant.
Reading their Blessings Books is something for which I can honestly say, I was very grateful. At the end of a busy year their wisdom helped me reflect on what is really important to me and gave me pause to give gratitude to those I love the most. My gratitude in 2018 also extended, among many other things, to our Headmaster Mr Wain and the members of our School Council who so readily supported the building of our new school hall. This facility has proven to be everything we expected and has enhanced our programs in many ways. It is a theatre, a classroom, a sports auditorium, rehearsal space and meeting place. We have been able to enhance our basketball and gymnastics programs, add dance and badminton to the co-curricular offerings and permitted further development of a number of our academic and pastoral programs.
