Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to make new friends? Maybe you have moved town, jobs or schools. For most of us, the thought of having to make new friends can be a daunting prospect. We had a significant moment in our house this week when our youngest boy Archie had his first day at preschool. Being a social young bloke, he was mostly excited by the opportunity he would have to make lots of new friends. Naturally, as parents we started talking with Archie about how he was going to make friends and even did a few role plays! My acting skills aren’t great, but we managed to get a little script down which went something like this: Hello, my name’s Archie. What’s your name? Do you want to be my friend? Simple and effective, what could go wrong?
When I saw Archie that afternoon it was clear that he had a great first day filled with lots of fun activities and nice teachers. I asked if he made any new friends. At this point his face dropped and he said sadly that he asked someone just how we had rehearsed, but they didn’t answer him. He then told me that maybe he said it too quietly and they couldn’t hear him. When I asked him why he said it so quietly, he told me that the little boy was sleeping and he didn’t want to wake him up…..oh dear.
Over the past few years we have had plenty of new students join us at PCS. Although each student is different, the one thing they all have in common is some level of anxiety over making new friends, and understandably so. It never surprises me that after a few days or less, all our new students are enjoying their time at PCS, especially because of the welcoming nature of their classmates. I have taught in plenty of schools, but I have to say that the PCS students are the friendliest bunch I have ever had the privilege of working with. I know that I am making generalised statements, and that all students have peer issues from time to time, but for the most part, the welcoming nature of our student body is outstanding and should be celebrated. We can talk all we want in enrolment interviews, but it is the students who do the best job at selling our school.
I am unapologetic in reinforcing the beautiful simplicity of this thing we call Christianity. We’re called to love God and love people. I am so proud to be part of a school community where a culture of support and kindness is deeply embedded. From our parents to our staff and students, kindness is evident, especially when things get tough. When we examine the life of Jesus we see a man who showed unprecedented acts of kindness. He teaches us in Matthew 25 that when we show kindness and care for someone else, it is the same as being kind and caring to Him. No act of kindness is done in vain.
I asked Archie after his second day of preschool if he had made any friends. He told me that he said the thing really loudly today, but they still didn’t answer because they were too busy having fun with each other in the sandpit. Sounds like he figured it out.
Let’s be kind to each other and have a great week.
Glen