This week, students and parents attended our Stage 6 information evening to gain information about how we prepare students for the HSC. Below are some of the insights shared that I think apply to all our students, and their families, not just those preparing for Stage 6.
It is so important that we recognise the importance of partnering with our children to face the reality of their world and the necessary role a carefully chosen education plays in assisting them to navigate this also.
In 2020, Aussie data collection and analysis company, McCrindle, published a paper, The Future of Events, that suggested in this current time the pace of change has never been this fast and will never be this slow again (Trudeau, 2018, cited in Fell, Renton and McCrindle, 2020). Fell, Renton and McCrindle (2020) argue that society is faced with a VUCA world; one engulfed in volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. In a time characterised by such qualities it is natural to assume that people will become anxious and afraid and withdraw a little from the challenges that they face.
It should come as no shock that two years later, McCrindle suggests this VUCA world has changed to become the MAE world: a Multifactor (bombarded by increases in volume and connectivity), Accelerating and ever-Expanding world.
They suggest we can no longer view our world lineally, or our kid’s trajectory as a straight path. Instead, they use metaphors like a swing instead of a slippery dip, full of ups and downs and a ride that keeps going rather than something we do and move on from. They suggest the idea of them being a driver is no longer sufficient, rather our next generation are drone pilots that need to get an aerial view of the terrain and then orienteer their life.
In an ever changing, ever increasing, ever intensifying world, the role of an excellent educational institution is to provide an academic program that is rigorous and relevant enough to stretch students so they are equipped to handle the challenges they will face now and in the world.
The role of an excellent Christian educational institution, however, is to provide a holistic educational program that goes beyond rigorous and relevant preparation; beyond providing external facilities; and beyond providing opportunities that help them get into University or start their career. RCC seeks to partner with the family to provide a nurturing environment that ensures the identities of our students are known and developed, it seeks to build hope based on everlasting foundations that will not be shaken as their potential graduates navigate the VUCA, MEA, MIA or whatever acronym this world throws at them. It seeks to ensure that the heart purpose of the graduate (not their external behaviours, but their attitudes, values and beliefs, their intentions and purposes) is well prepared to contribute to their now and their beyond.
Parents and carers play a crucial role in this, we must build and maintain collaborative relationships where we work side by side to achieve the best outcomes for our students, your children. Your involvement is so beneficial for your child’s successful education.
In 2020, the results were released from a series of studies that were conducted where Australian students were tracked from Year 9 to Year 12 to determine what factors contributed to their decisions about subject selection and post school career paths. Whilst teachers and career advisors like to think that they play a significant role, and they do, the evidence clearly shows that the most trusted source of career advice for students is their families. In fact, the evidence highlighted that parents are the number one influence on a child’s subject selection and career path.
The Good Book states that if we train a child in the way they should go, they will not depart from it (Prov 22:6). Folklore, or maybe just common sense, says that it takes a community to raise a child. In our world, now more than ever, we must take heed of these truths and continue to partner together to provide a platform for our children that will provide for them the foundations they need to understand their identity and purpose and develop a hope that enables them to successfully contribute to their world.
Good Tidings,
Jonno
