Human Flourishing

Volume 2, Issue 01 | March 2009 Vol. 02 Issue 1 | Quarterly Newsletter SEXUAL IMAGERY EVERYWHERE – WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE THE Human Flourishing CHILDREN? It is almost impossible to drive through the main streets of any major Australian city and not see huge billboards inquiring as to whether the driver would like to “Restore their Sex Life”... Pg 4 HAPPINess IS NOT JUST FEEling good, it’S DOING GOOD Being kind and caring and compassionate and generous to and for others is one of the most powerful and effective ways to build positive relationships. Pg 6 To Flourish means to live well, to grow in every sense, to appreciate the beauty in all things, to establish and nurture quality relationships (make good friends), to EMAIL ETIQUETTE be able to manage challenges and be resilient, to be Things to Consider Before Hitting that Send Button - If you have a hotmail strong. address such as “cuteybabe”- don’t ever use it for business or for personal To be able to flourish people must All of us want to flourish, to feel good about purposes where you want the recipient be positive about life. All of us have life, to feel strong and able to cope with the to take you seriously. They won’t! positive and negative emotions. We feel challenges and still improve and grow, to Pg 11 good and we feel “less good” about things. thrive. This is in everything we do in our The positive feelings (emotions) are related lives for all things in our lives are interrelated to us feeling good about ourselves, our and impact on how we manage “it all”. The SECRET PARENTS’ BuSINess friends and our circumstance. We feel positive emotions are the emotions which Parenting is not always easy. Contradicted we manage all quite well. The negative enable us to feel confident, to have a go, by assertive offspring, confronted by differing feelings (emotions) are related to feeling to make good relationships, do well in all standards of parenting, and confused by unable to manage things, to feel angry, aspects of our learning about life and to social and technological changes, many upset, unhappy because we cannot explain deal sensibly and constructively with set parents are finding themselves under siege or manage things in our lives, we feel backs. when raising children. that things are “just too hard”, we are not Pg 17 resilient and feel that we cannot or are not Barbara Fredrickson, and others, have coping and it is either our fault or we blame shown through scientific studies that people others for the situation we find difficult and who flourish have greater life possibilities “life determining at that moment”. We can than those who are “languishing” (going also feel “pretty average” and seem to be in through the motions) or those who are a “don’t care mood” at times. In this state dominated by negative feelings about we are lethargic, don’t really care much life and feel they cannot cope. If you feel about things and perhaps do not try too positive you see the world better, you seriously at things. We “just go through the appreciate things more (you actually “see” motions”. CONTENTS Human Flourishing 01 From the Chairman 03 Sexual Imagery Everywhere 04 Where does that leave the Children? Happiness is not just feeling 06 Food for Thought 07 Education Law Notes 08 The Southport School 10 A Guide to Email Etiquette 11 School Sustainability 13 Vertical House System 14 St Hilda’s School 16 Secret Parents’ Business 17 John Hendry (Director of Student Welfare, Geelong Grammar School), Prof Martin Seligmann and Ms Debbie Clingeleffer ABSA Research 18 Woodford’s (Director of Learning, Geelong Grammar School) Coming Events 20 is however important for all of us to have Positive psychology both positive and negative emotions. We has built many must strive to be more positive about life for then we will be able to grow, lead Would You Like Your Boarding School meaningful and purposeful lives, engage Featured in Lights Out? strategies to allow (go into “flow”) and make our lives and the lives of our friends and our community We plan to feature two schools each edition. us to understand life, more fulfilling. We will be liked more by All you need to do, is write a brief article to appreciate life, to others, will be more content, will manage and send us some high resolution photos. live life more fully all challenges better and will make fewer Make sure your content is in by May 15. mistakes. Importantly we will see beauty and productively and and appreciate life and everyone in our lives For further information, go to page 20 of more. We will “flourish” and our health will this newsletter or contact ABSA. to “thrive” (flourish) be better. We will be kinder, more forgiving and will lead richer lives. This Issues Featured Schools more that is going on around you), you live better in relationships, you are kinder, you Positive psychology has built many The Southport School and help others more, you understand others strategies to allow us to understand life, St Hilda’s School better, you “learn more’ in every sense, in to appreciate life, to live life more fully and out of class, you remember more, you and productively and to “thrive” (flourish). are more likeable, you contribute to others The skills associated with understanding more and you think more about what you more of life, of ourselves and of “being do and how it effects others. Barbara has in flow” (engaged totally in what we are shown that this is the state to strive for. Of doing), and of leading helpful, meaningful course, negative emotions are critical and and purposeful lives (for others) and to essential to everyone, however the ratio learn more effectively and to “build our life between positive and negative emotions do skills” to help others (and ourselves), are define whether you have the possibility of essential if we are to flourish. It is hoped capitalising on flourishing or not. She has that all students will “engage” positively in found that the ratio of 3 positive emotions all activities at School and will be kind to to 1 negative emotion is the “tipping point” one another and lead meaningful lives for for people to begin to flourish. Her findings this will mean that each will flourish and the have been confirmed by another researcher School will flourish. (a mathematician, Marcial Losada using complicated mathematical modelling). (The Written by Mr John Hendry – Director of You have been sent multiple copies for ratio is 2.9 : 1). Some other interesting Student Welfare, Geelong Grammar School, distribution to your boarding staff. findings by Barbara are that groups also in conjunction with Professor Barbara flourish (or not) depending on the ratio Frederickson 13 February 2008. If you would like extra copies in the future they have between positive and negative please contact us at, [email protected] emotions. with the number of copies requested. For people to flourish all must feel “safe and secure” in their lives, this is critical. It 2 From the Chairman By Dr Tim Hawkes THE SILVER LINING The evaluative light must be shone into the dark corners of our lives, for no one should be excused the requirement to audit their character There is an aluminium lining (we can’t afford silver these days) to the fiscal clouds that are casting shadows over our employment, retirement, and “let’s go to Bali” prospects. That lining is a growing acceptance of what Barack Obama has called a “new moral code”. Then there are the students themselves. disposable income is evaporating and the Most are delightful, but rather too many pain of paying boarding fees is increasing. The temptation may be to think the are given to theft, bullying, and selfishness. There is an even greater compulsion within morals that need to be recoded are Those not engaged directly in these acts our various boarding communities to limited to American bankers and hedge- are not immune from censure, for it is within provide: fund managers. Not so, although I was their shadow these deeds are often allowed dumfounded to read that John Thain, the to take place. • a safe and comfortable environment, recent boss of Merrill Lynch – a Wall Street • a happy and enjoyable environment, investment bank that lost a gobsmacking The evaluative light must be shone into the • for the individual pastoral needs of $15 billion dollars in just the last few months dark corners of our lives, for no one should boarders, – suggested recently that he deserved a be excused the requirement to audit their • added value to the academic bonus of $US10 million. He got the sack character, for lurking beneath presumed advancement of boarders. instead. virtue is a potential for delinquency. As it is written: Some boarding schools will still lose Australia has been no virginal innocent in enrolments. However, giving a clear and the corporate greed stakes and has played All have sinned and fall short of the glory of unambiguous demonstration of the value of its part in advancing the “wealth without God (Romans 3:23) boarding, may slow or even stem the loss of work” mentality. Too many Armani suits in boarders. city suites have been paid a cash bonus for Quite apart from the challenge to re-evaluate ethical loss to allow us to be self-righteous in our corporate and individual morality, there If the Australian boarding industry rises relation to the current financial melt-down. is the challenge to ensure our boarding to this challenge, then there might even schools are giving demonstrable returns be a silver lining to the fiscal clouds that Just as we warm to a populist rant against on the significant financial investment overshadow our industry.

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