PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING JUNIOR SCHOOL MIDDLE & SENIOR SCHOOL WHOLE SCHOOL

PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING

Simon Brooks, Principal



Today was RUOK Day at AISM and what a magical experience it was!

RUOK Day, short for "Are You OK Day," is an annual event observed in many countries, with its origins in Australia. This important day serves as a reminder to check in on the mental and emotional well-being of friends, family members, colleagues, and acquaintances.

The primary aim of RUOK Day is to promote open and meaningful conversations about mental health, encouraging people to ask the simple yet powerful question, "Are you OK?" The ultimate goal is to foster connections and to be of true assistance to those who may be struggling with challenges in their life.

At AISM, we marked RUOK Day with a smorgasbord of different activities designed and led by our committed team of educators. As many of you know, one of our core initiatives here at AISM is Just15 - we believe that our mental and physical health is immeasurably enriched if we take action and set aside ‘just 15’ minutes of time per day to do something that we love. This might be something that gets our blood pumping, such as weight training, running or tennis, or something that we are passionate about, such as listening to music, chatting with friends or painting.  



Today, AISM teachers led a whole series of different ‘Just15’ experiences reflecting their own passions, and students got the opportunity to experience these in groups. There is not enough space here for me to name the complete plethora of opportunities provided, but the list includes drumming, calligraphy, origami, frisbee, juggling, boules, tetras towers, hydroponics, song writing, card tricks, sudoku, chess, and the list goes on.

My thanks go to all of our teachers for their commitment to enriching our students’ lives and sharing their many passions with us today. Particular thanks go to our School Counsellor Ms. Zoe McPherson for the hours of effort and outstanding leadership she has put into preparing for today.

I concluded the day by running an assembly for students in MSS where I focused on one particular skill which I hope is useful for everyone in our community to ponder further…

How good are your listening skills, do you think?

What is your default approach to negotiating conversations with friends and family when they might be upset, emotional or overwhelmed?

Today, I worked with our students in MSS to help them cultivate the skill of reflective listening. This is an incredibly powerful skill, but also very tricky to master, and takes years of practice. Like many people, I’m still learning, and still have a long way to go.

To some extent, reflective listening is the opposite of advice giving. When friends or family are upset, it can be very easy to slip into advice mode, telling them exactly what we think they should do to resolve the problem or take action. In reality, people in these situations usually don’t want advice. If they wanted it, they’d ask for it. What they actually want is to be heard, to be acknowledged, to talk. When we jump in and give advice too soon, we deprive people of the opportunity to clarify their thinking for themselves and find their own answers.

At its core, reflective listening involves actively listening to someone and then paraphrasing or summarising what they have said to show empathy and understanding. When we practise reflective listening, we might say things like:

“I’m hearing you say that…”
“It sounds like you’re feeling frustrated about… Is that right?”
“So, if I understand correctly, you’re worried about…”
“You mentioned that you’re excited about the new opportunity and the changes it might bring.”
“I think I understand that you feel like there are so many demands on you and you don’t know which way to turn.”

On the back of RUOK Day, why not open up a conversation with your child or children this weekend. What do they think RUOk Day is all about? Why might it be important? Do they know what reflective listening is? (Hopefully, MSS students will have some ideas!) What might be the benefits? How might we all get better at it? Are they OK?

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING JUNIOR SCHOOL MIDDLE & SENIOR SCHOOL WHOLE SCHOOL
PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING JUNIOR SCHOOL MIDDLE & SENIOR SCHOOL WHOLE SCHOOL
PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING JUNIOR SCHOOL MIDDLE & SENIOR SCHOOL WHOLE SCHOOL