From the Principal
We are close to but not quite halfway through the term, which means we are still climbing up the Pymble hill before we can start enjoying the countdown to summer holidays. It’s a super-busy time, in a super-busy year, and people – especially the very special young people in our care – are showing signs of being tired. Meanwhile there are assessments, exam blocks, performances, concerts, competitions, showcases, festivals, Outdoor Education Programs and a whole host of other commitments demanding their attention.
Speaking of OEPs, a huge shout-out to our awesome Year 7 students for embracing their recent five-day program at Vision Valley with remarkable commitment and gusto. Such was their enthusiasm for having a go that the attendance rate amongst the cohort was almost 100 per cent. Our staff are bursting with pride for our students (and their families) who are embracing all that our OEPs have to offer, safe in the knowledge that they are in the best of hands as they build their resilience, confidence and connectedness, both as individuals and as a cohort, through each progressively more challenging experience.
Sometimes it can be hard for parents to know when to push their child to take on a challenge, when to pull them back, or when to simply let them know that you are present and available to support them while they work their way through.
In assembly this week our Deputy Principal – Students, Mr Justin Raymond, shared a strategy he used recently to complete what most of us would deem a completely unreasonable physical challenge. It’s the same one I use frequently as a life-long learner, a mentor of students and the leader of this wonderful school. We both thought it would be a handy strategy to share with our Pymble family at this point in time.
Chunking through challenge
Desmond Tutu once said, “There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.”
What he meant by this is that everything in life that seems daunting, overwhelming, and even impossible can be accomplished gradually by taking on just a little at a time. Researchers have since agreed, coining this process ‘chunking’, which basically means breaking down big things into smaller, manageable pieces to achieve the outcome you desire.
Physical challenges
In Mr Raymond’s case, he used the chunking strategy to achieve his goal of competing in an ultramarathon of 200 miles (328km), in the tropical landscape of Cairns in Far North Queensland, across 10,000 metres of vertical gain (aka hills), with next to no sleep barring occasional 12-minute ‘dirt naps’, for four days and three nights. When the going got tough, rather than focus on how tired or sore he was or how far he still had to go, he set himself small tasks:
- Run to that tree.
- Run until the next dirt nap in two hours.
- Run to the next snack point.
After completing each task, he acknowledged his small win and set a new task. And so the cycle of chunking continued. 81 hours and 51 minutes later, he crossed the finish line in sixth place.
“Chunking is all about positive validation,” Mr Raymond says.
“It turns an epic thing into little chunks, and each time you achieve one of these chunks you give yourself a pat on the back. You go from small win to small win, which is the mindset you need to see a big challenge through to the end.”
Studying and upcoming exams
Chunking is also an effective way to improve your short-term memory, according to researchers. By grouping different bits of information together in smaller or well-organised chunks, study notes can become easier to comprehend and remember.
Research also suggests that chunking tasks can reduce anxiety and feelings of overwhelm – a great strategy for our Secondary School students as they head into their end of year exams.
When life throws curveballs
We don’t need research, however, to tell us that life doesn’t always go to plan, relationships aren’t always easy, and occasionally something big and scary will crop up that may make you want to run for the hills rather than face the music. The first thing to remember is that the rule of thirds applies when you’re chasing a dream or doing something hard – you can expect to feel good 1/3 of the time, okay 1/3 of the time, and crappy 1/3 of the time.
The second thing to know is that ‘chunking down’ a daunting personal challenge into small steps to take, hour by hour, day by day can help you move forward and prove to yourself that you will get through this because you are doing it.
Conversely, you can also ‘chunk up’ to shift your perspective from something specific to something more general, or a bigger picture, as a way of turning the heat down on something that is making you feel all hot and bothered.
You can see why Mr Raymond and I are big fans of chunking – it can be applied to so many challenges in life. Perhaps you’d like to chat about it as a family and see how this strategy can be applied to different areas of your lives, too.
Have a great week ahead.
