Qualities of a Learner…Schools throughout the world seek to emphasise particular qualities of learning. You just need to drive on the Brooker Highway past all the local schools to see how they promote the qualities of a learner expected in their students. A few years ago, we asked our teachers what learner qualities we aspire for our students at Northern to exhibit. They were asked to choose descriptive words that captured the type of learners or the type of school culture that we aspire to have. Through this exercise, we agreed that we expect our students to be: Resilient Learners Curious Learners Courageous Learners Responsible Learners
These are fantastic learner qualities we see students demonstrate daily in their learning inside and outside the classroom. As you know, we believe parents have the primary responsibility for educating their children, and we also know that parents have the mandate to help their children become responsible. We want to ensure that education at Northern is an extension of what is being taught at home and that our practices at Northern are also helping students to become more responsible. This week, as I have reflected on the qualities of a learner, I have been reminded about what it says in Proverbs: Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
This statement is often misunderstood and misinterpreted, and we tend to receive this as a promise, not a piece of advice (as proverbs tend to be). Trevin Wax, a well-known Christian author, writes in relation to Proverbs 22:6 that the truth of this proverb should lead us to lean heavily on the Holy Spirit. Wax highlights that: We need the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit as we instil the truths of God’s Word in the hearts and minds of our children. We need the sustaining work of the Holy Spirit as we walk with our children through highs and lows, valleys and mountains, pointing them to God and His goodness at every turn. We need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as we rely on His guidance to show us the best way to apply truths to children’s hearts.
This semester, we are exploring with students what it means to be a Responsible Learner and what this looks like for us as a Christian learning community. Staff have also been challenged to reflect on their daily class practices and how they can foster more opportunities to support and help students to become more responsible. In Line-Up this week, I reminded everyone that God did not create us to be alone but to be in community with others. Students were also encouraged to work hard together to be responsible. We have intentionally added the ‘We’ in the following statements that we are exploring with our students to emphasise and remind them that we are not an institution, but rather we are a Christian community of learners, helping one another to be responsible learners: At Northern:
We focus on our learning
We take charge of our learning
We think about how we can improve our learning
Lastly, I would like to challenge us all with the following questions to ponder… How are we teaching our children/students responsibility? Are we modelling good habits for them? How are we taking the training of children seriously – both where we guide them and how we shepherd their hearts? What habits do we need to start or stop? Consider the well-known saying: “Actions speak louder than words.” Are we putting our hope for our children in God?
Let us pray that we will seek God’s guidance and wisdom in His Word and through prayer as we teach and nurture our students to help them to be responsible. Bethany Armstrong – Principal
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