Courage
It’s fair to say that the whole school community thrives on being busy and getting involved. The last 5 weeks have definitely been a whirlwind of activity! To give you an insight into our bustling schedule this term, we have…marked World Book Day, performed at Stoller Hall in Manchester, celebrated International Women’s Day, supported Dougie Mac’s 50th anniversary, skied in Austria, learnt new skills during Activity Week, participated in the finals of the ISA Football Tournament, staged Jack and the Beanstalk, delivered a Spring Concert at The Forum Theatre, shown off our culinary skills in a Bake Off and paraded our spring bonnets with pride. And all this whilst continuing to deliver an inspiring, tailor made curriculum to our pupils.
Something that all of these activities have in common is an element of courage, the character trait that we have been specifically focusing on this half term. At Edenhurst, we talk about courage in terms of having self-belief, developing confidence, not being afraid to stand your ground and being brave.
As part of our school wide growth mindset strategy, courage is one of the six important traits we instill within our pupils. It will help them face challenges, overcome fears and take calculated risks that lead to personal growth and success. At Edenhurst we create a variety of opportunities for our children to practice courage in a safe and supportive environment by:
- Providing age appropriate challenges. This could be through academic tasks, physical activities or social situations.
- Teaching about resilience, having the ability to bounce back when things do not go as planned.
- Encouraging children to persevere through challenges and setbacks, and to see failures as an opportunity to grow and learn.
- Modelling courage ourselves! As teachers, it is important to model courage through our own words and actions. This could be through showing courage in the face of adversity or sharing a personal story about how we have faced and overcome challenges in our lives.
- Creating a classroom culture where mistakes are viewed as opportunities for learning, children are more likely to feel comfortable taking risks or trying new things.
- Recognising and celebrating courageous acts such as speaking up in class or trying something new, helps to reinforce the importance of courage and promotes further acts of bravery.
On my desk I currently have a copy of The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy. His thought provoking words about life’s journey never fail to strike a chord with me.
Pause for a moment and ask yourself, what’s the bravest, most courageous thing you have done recently?
Wishing everyone a safe and happy spring break.
Mrs Emma Mousley
Categories: School Blogs
