Principal’s Message
Posted July 23 2010Thought for the week
“Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.”
Thomas Paine
I have been thinking recently about the role of “guilt” in our lives. I have felt for some time that “guilt” was a very negative motivator and that living with a sense of being guilty about something could be quite damaging to our feelings of self worth. However, when someone has done “the wrong thing” they always have a sense of guilt about what they have done and when one can attach the guilt to a certain behaviour or action, then when the action or behaviour disappears, the guilt goes too. Being open, honest and “upfront” is essential in the healing process. If the truth has been manipulated and modified then we are not freeing ourselves up to move forward. Mary Baker Eddy says “… the sin is punished so long as the sin lasts”, but it is we who do the punishing to ourselves. Once we have seen through the behaviour, the action has stopped and all cards are on the table, any sense of guilt must disappear because we have risen above it. Having a general sense of guilt about something over which we have no control, or which happened in the distant past and cannot be changed is pointless and very harmful. I believe that is why Jesus Christ said things like “he who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone …” and “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not and ye shall not be judged:”
So what about consequence? Is there never a consequence for “wrong-doing”? There is always a consequence even if it does not come to the attention of others. However, justice must be seen to be done and that is why when something comes to ones attention it must be dealt with. We must always take responsibility for our own actions.
Huntingtower has some very definite expectations of its students and parents. As you know all senior school students sign a commitment not to smoke, drink alcohol or take illegal drugs at any time including weekends and holidays. This commitment lasts until they have graduated from school. Our parents also sign this commitment in the sense that they agree (on the enrolment form) to support this expectation. As a consequence, we ask all our parents to ensure that if they are hosting a party, the following three things occur:
- The party is fully and actively supervised
- No alcohol (etc) is available and if any child brings alcohol it is removed from them until they leave the party and
- No open parties are held.
I have often said that if parents do not support the high expectations in this regard, they cannot be effective. However, it is not the expectation that is at fault it is the unwillingness to make the stand that we know will give our children the best foundation for a successful future.
Our children are all wonderful, beautiful creations; they do not need alcohol or any other drug to make them happier, more sociable, more acceptable or better people. The statistics on deaths due to drink driving should be enough to encourage us to train our children to be the “designated driver”.
The Annual school Fete will be held on November 6 this year and we would really appreciate it if every parent can think of an item or items that they could contribute to the silent auction or perhaps for a prize at another stall. You will all be contacted and asked to assist in some way, either in preparation, cleanup or serving for an hour or two on a stall. We are so grateful to you for your willingness to assist and take part. Please put the date in you calendar and invite all your friends and family to come along.
If anyone is considering purchasing a Mazda, Holden, Audi or Mitsubishi, please contact me as we have an arrangement with Penfold Motors in Burwood and Huntingtower will receive a contribution for any car purchased from them. One condition is that a letter from me must be taken to their representative first. So please see me if you are after one of these cars.
SholtoBowen
Principal
July 23 2010 11:05 am | All and Principals Message | 
