PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING

Simon Brooks, Principal

One of our key goals at AISM is to support our learners in developing a strong sense of personal agency.

Personal agency refers to the ability of our students to take an active role in their lives and learning and make their own decisions which impact upon their own experience. It involves children and young people having a sense of ownership and control over their learning, being able to set goals, monitor their progress, and make choices about how they learn.

When students have agency, they are not simply passive recipients of knowledge, but active participants in the learning process. They are empowered to take responsibility for their own learning, to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and to make choices about how they can improve.

Personal agency supports students in developing the skills and habits of mind that are essential for success in both academic and non-academic contexts.

Drawing on work by Glen Gerryn, here are three ways children and young people can take agency over their life and move forward into a positive future.

1 - Be Courageous

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, or difficulty.”- Theodore Roosevelt

At AISM we believe that learning occurs at the point of challenge. In the same way that our muscles grow when we push them to the limit, so too do we grow when we place ourselves in situations that are outside our comfort zone.

This takes courage - it often feels much easier to play it safe and step back from risk - there is much less to lose that way and life can feel much simpler and safer.

Courage is a choice. It needs to be practised. The more we choose the courageous pathway, the more we exercise this muscle and the more courageous we become. As human beings, we grow into the choices we make for ourselves on a daily basis.

So, next time you are faced with an opportunity that deep down inside you know could lead to something amazing for you (and similarly, could go wrong!), seize the day and have a go (so long as you are safe and what you are doing is appropriate for your age and within the boundaries of the law!)

The more courageous you are, the more opportunities will open up for you, and the more personal agency you develop.

2 - Stop Blaming Others

The thing about being courageous and taking risks is that sometimes things will go wrong. They wouldn’t be ‘risks’ if there wasn’t the possibility of this.

However, people with a strong sense of personal agency don’t point the finger at other people or the world around them when things don’t turn out as they wish.

They understand that being proactive means taking responsibility for their own behaviours and even their own emotions.

We all make mistakes. We all say things we don’t really mean and sometimes behave in a way that we later regret. When we have a developed a strong sense of agency, we own these mistakes. We apologise and say we are sorry when necessary. We understand that a true apology involves acknowledging that what we did was wrong and that we’ll strive to do better next time, rather than justifying our behaviour and excusing ourselves.

3 - Sit With Discomfort

Based on everything I have written above, it is clear that some discomfort is a necessary part of growth, but sitting with uncomfortable emotions can be challenging.

Many of us have been taught to swallow our feelings, leading to avoidance and suppression which hinders our emotional growth. But noticing and naming our emotions and sitting compassionately with ourselves through difficult times is a key aspect in developing wellbeing.

Emotions, both pleasant and unpleasant, are an essential part of being human. When we suppress or avoid our emotions, they get trapped inside, leading to psychological and physical ailments.

Naming our emotions has significant psychological benefits. According to a recent study, naming how we feel can reduce distress by 50%. Naming our emotions helps us gain a sense of control of them, developing our sense of personal agency. We become more aware of our emotional state and learn to manage it better.

These ideas also sit at the heart of our focus on Mindfulness at AISM. A central component of becoming more mindful is allowing ourselves to feel our emotions without fear or avoidance, and acknowledging that these emotions are paying us a visit. If we take this approach, like all visitors, eventually the emotions will leave us and we will be able to move on. In the process, we become more resilient and better equipped to handle tough emotions in the future.

What opportunities might you find in the next fortnight to develop your own disposition of personal agency?

2023 AISM First Term Experience Survey

Your comments as parents and guardians are important to us. Share with us your first term experience by clicking on the link below:

2023 AISM First Term Experience Survey

We highly encourage all parents and guardians to take this opportunity to provide the school with your valuable and CONFIDENTIAL feedback by Monday, 22 May 2023.