From the Principal
This week, for several reasons, I’ve been struck with a deep sense of gratitude for the incredibly caring staff we have at Pymble. It made me reflect on what it means to be grateful, which drew me to The Harvard EdCast and research on gratitude by Professor Andrea Hussong from the University of North Carolina.
When speaking with children about gratitude, Prof Hussong and her team refer to the four ‘beats’ of gratitude. They explain that gratitude is more about stopping to reflect on grateful moments in time rather than trying to be a grateful person. This really made sense to me; to reflect on moments where gratitude bubbles naturally to the surface as perfect teachable opportunities for our girls.
Prof Hussong speaks about:
- What we notice – and turning our minds to being on the lookout for grateful moments.
- Making sense of that moment – stopping to reflect and think about how that moment came about.
- Our thoughts and feelings – how we process those moments and make sense of them; for example, what led a person or group of people to behave in that way.
- What we do when these moments happen – how we demonstrate our gratitude.
It’s fantastic that she encourages us to teach young people to move beyond manners; to be on the lookout for moments where gratitude might be present, and to focus on the intention of those actions and the connections in those moments.
In an episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast called The Science of Gratitude & 6 Surprising Ways You’re Getting it Wrong, Robbins takes this a step further by explaining the difference between being thankful and being grateful. Thankfulness is usually transactional and often expected – you could almost say it reflects your manners. If someone holds open the doors of the lift for you, there is an expectation you will say thank you in response. This type of exchange is automatic, not especially imbued with feeling, and will most likely be forgotten by both parties when the doors close.
Gratefulness, on the other hand, is an emotional response to a specific action that lingers with you. When we express and receive gratitude, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, creating a lingering feeling of joy and a sense of genuine connection with the person who took that specific action.
It was a true pleasure to share with Secondary students in Combined Assembly on Tuesday a moment of deep gratitude for one of our staff that I experienced over the weekend.
On Saturday morning, I arrived home after doing a few chores to find a package tucked into the corner of my garage door. There was also a text message on my phone from our Deputy Principal, Ms Rockwell, who said she had noticed I was really struggling with a cold this week and had left me a package of ArmaForce, which she finds helpful when she’s unwell. In the package was enough stock to last six months because she didn’t just want me well for now, she wanted me to be well for a long time.
It made me pause and reflect. Not just in relation to the gift that had arrived at my door, but the actions that led to it.
Ms Rockwell had thought about how I was feeling, driven to the chemist (on her way to Saturday sport to support the girls), had a discussion with the pharmacist about what was going to be most effective for me, driven to my home, knocked on my door, realised I wasn’t home and so placed the package where I would find it, taken a photo, and then wrote and sent a lovely caring text message to explain everything.
The gift was so much more than the ArmaForce – the gift was the intention, the thought and the time Ms Rockwell spent thinking about how she could help me, and then doing something about that. For this, I am so grateful.
Research shows there are many benefits of gratitude. In a nutshell, it improves our physical and mental health, self-esteem and behaviour, life satisfaction, relationships, and careers. It even helps us to sleep better. If gratitude were a tablet, we would most likely choose to take one daily. We don’t need that tablet, however, when we are part of a community that actively practices gratitude.
This Easter break is a great opportunity to focus less on the Easter eggs that may be given and more on the care, thoughts and energy of the person who spent precious time sourcing, selecting and gifting the eggs.
I’m also hoping there’s an opportunity for our girls to find a moment to give the gift of their thoughtfulness, their time and their intention to impact positively on someone around them and, in doing so, grow that wonderful feeling of gratitude that exists in our community.
For those who are interested, Prof Hussong delivers a free 30-minute online course on Gratitude Conversations for parents, which you can access here.
Have a wonderful long weekend, filled with grateful moments.
Windows into Learning
Speaking of gratitude leads us beautifully into this week’s Windows into Learning section celebrating more magic moments of teaching and learning at Pymble.
Years 3 to 6 PE
“In Term 1, students in Years 3 to 6 have been engaging in a variety of activities to promote physical fitness and develop essential motor skills, such as throwing and catching. Learning how to effectively throw and catch different objects not only improves hand-eye co-ordination but also offers many benefits for overall physical and cognitive development. These skills require precise co-ordination of hand movements, muscle control, and visual tracking, leading to improved dexterity and agility.
“PE activities also promote teamwork, co-operation and communication skills, which are vital when playing team sports and help to foster a sense of unity and friendship among participants. Developing these skills allows the girls to become more involved in sports and activities within the community, which has the flow-on effect of enhancing their social and physical health.”
Miss Charlotte Baker
Junior School PDHPE teacher
Year 10 Commerce
“On a recent incursion, Moneyvest came and spoke to Year 10 Commerce students about wealth creation and smart money decisions. We did a short quiz to help us understand our approach to spending and reflected on these results, brainstorming ideas on how to better these habits. The presenter shared a large amount of insightful information on interest rates, showing us how to make the most of any savings that we had in a bank account. Everyone was eager to contact their banks to try and improve their interest rates to above five per cent.
“Moneyvest shared a payslip that we examined and labelled in order to ensure that in any current or future jobs we know exactly how to guarantee we are being paid fairly. They shared the importance of having a tax file number and how to approach getting one, and we had interesting discussions on tax in different countries and the importance of filing tax returns. Overall, the incursion was extremely informative and engaging and I believe that all of year 10 learned something we can carry with us and use in the future.”
Zara Patterson
Year 10 Commerce student
