the S U M M Q E R WHAT'S ON? The LGBT Society 2 at Queens' 0 Romanticising Abduction in Popular Culture 1 Find out about your 9 teacher's first job! Queens' School Slang CREDITS: FIVE Danny Robinson - Head Editor things we should Life in the Unification Maia Anselmo - Head Editor appreciate more! Ella Clarke - Copy Editor Movement Lisa Elliot - Copy Editor Louisa Wilkes Marla Morris Preena Madlani An EXCLUSIVE look into Layomi Abudu what Queens' School Shatou Rasha India Baker-Gorton Students are really Leonardo Luz And a special thanks to all thinking, and more! writers outside of the team. TOXIC POSITIVITY how growth mindset has grown pessimism Nega��ve thinking has been the scourge of This rejec!on of nega!ve emo!ons not only schools prac!cally since the crea!on of the provides more work for us in dealing with growth mindset in Carol Dweck’s The New issues we confront o en, like being late for Psychology of Success. This new model of school or not doing our homework that’s due thinking has been promoted throughout first period, but it also maintains s!gma schools !relessly, we have assemblies on it, we towards people who are anxious or depressed have corrected phrases in our classrooms on and oversimplifies human behaviour. It is yet how to change our language to fit these ideals, unknown the exact cause of mental illness and and we are consistently inundated with it it is most likely a culmina!on of many different throughout our school years. And this might causes, like certain genes or situa!onal factors. just be the problem. The idea of growth Placing all the responsibility of having a mental mindset has evolved beyond a handy tool to health problem on an individual may mo!vate stay posi!ve and keep our hopes up, and has them to take control of their thinking and mutated into something more sinister, behaviour, but it is also equally if not more something we o en overlook in our desperate likely to create feelings of shame and blame, a empts to keep away from the anxie!es of and promote the idea that mental health everyday life‐ toxic posi!vity. problems can be dealt with en!rely alone. Toxic posi!vity is the cul!va!on of ignoring The monster of toxic posi!vity may not have any and all nega!ve emo!ons in favour of been created purposefully, but it is something maintaining a so‐called ‘posi!ve outlook’. For we have to contest and challenge. We must example, some may tell you to ‘get over’ an promote the acceptance of emo!ons, nega!ve, issue or ‘just be posi!ve’ or to ‘think happy posi!ve and even neutral and recognise the thoughts’. And okay, o en when you see a value of both (it has been found that when friend in need all advice flies out the window tested against non‐depressed par!cipants, and you’re stuck rever!ng to simple pla!tudes, depressive‐realists were more likely to create meaningless statements that don’t really accurate es!mates of how likely a disaster was address the issues or provide valida!on or to happen, this became known as the ‘sadder hope. This, though, only feeds into the but wiser’ effect). Chasing happiness will only rejec!on and suppression of normal and result in more nega!vity, and so it is suggested perhaps even produc!ve emo!ons. Plenty of that instead of perpetua!ng the idea of nega!ve emo!ons have been proven to be ‘posi!ve vibes only’ we should take steps useful in our lives, though of course, in towards crea!ng valida!on and gentle modera!on (Bas!n et al. 2016 suggests that encouragement, saying ‘some!mes giving up is guilt is ‘crucial for the development and okay, what’s your ideal outcome?’ and ‘This is maintenance of interpersonal rela!onships). hard. You’ve done hard things before and I believe in you’, and create an ideal of ‘all vibes welcome’. kept anonymous. Chasing happiness will only result in more negativity Is There Really Such Thing as a Bad Job? and there are others cleaning the likes of schools and homes. The amount these people get paid will Many children, par!cularly those differ by a large amount so I would from African or Asian households, argue that regarding ‘cleaning’ as a are repeatedly told to choose a bad job is simply ill informed. ‘good job’. But what exactly is the Similarly, you have servers in defini!on of a good job? Most establishments like Nandos but you people immediately respond with also have waiters and waitresses in the answer: “one where you earn a three Michelin star restaurants or lot of money”. And that’s fair the White House. enough. Occupa!ons that people regularly describe as good are Progression in an industry comes things like being a doctor, lawyer, when people are passionate about banker, engineer and so on. But what they do and put in a lot of what I don’t understand is why effort every day, constantly striving people o en disregard whole to do be er. Therefore, I do not industries when lis!ng ‘good jobs’. think that there is such a thing as a bad job. Do what makes you happy If I was to ask you to name a ‘bad and you will surely go far. job’ you’d probably list things such as cleaning, being a support worker Layomi Abudu or maybe a waiter. What many people forget is that there is room for progression in ANY industry. There’s someone out there cleaning the likes of Buckingham Palace or the United Na!ons Headquarters Whether you know it or not, Queens’ School mentality along the lines of ‘no one in here can has an LGBTQ+ society that has been running relate to these issues’ – ignoring the fact that not for the last year – which is a big thing for the all people are cisgender and heterosexual. school. If you don’t already know, LGBTQ+ ‐ Building on this, the students also weren’t some!mes just LGBT or even LGBTQIA+ ‐ is an comfortable with some of the “fun debates” that abbrevia!on that stands for lesbian, gay, have cropped up occasionally in lessons like PSE or bisexual, transgender and queer (IA stands for PRE, like the ones where the morality of being intersex and asexual, respec!vely), with the ‘+’ LGBTQ+ or just LGBTQ+ issues are debated. The signifying the mul!tudes of genders and main issue with these is that being LGBTQ+ is sexuali!es included in the community that fundamentally a lifestyle that isn’t a choice and don’t fall under the other le ers. As a member therefore shouldn’t be debated as if it couldn’t of this club, I’ve heard first‐hand what the community has to say about their experiences as young LGBTQ+ people at Queens’, including things they believe could be done be er. One main issue that came up during my discussion with the LGBTQ+ society was that it G seems like people forget that members of the school community do iden!fy as LGBTQ+. The process of coming out and the decision to do so L is big for anyone and can be very difficult, so B not all people will feel comfortable with it. Some may not even be able to do so for a the SAGA variety of reasons, maybe because it's not safe for them to do so, or they’re scared of the poten!al for backlash; the society felt that directly affect someone sat in the some!mes classes can have a narrow‐minded class. While we’re on the topic of debates, the students felt that when Five Things That I should have LGBTQ+ issues and topics came up, appreciated more in Years 7­9 they had to be able to debate their side in a calm and collected way, •A free Oyster card – travel is not cheap! despite their way of life being challenged in front of them; I think •Having homework that isn’t due for that it was put into words best by another two weeks – I wish! one of the club members who said that you ‘can’t argue empathy’, •Holidays that are actually HOLIDAYS ­ which is basically what people are revising when everyone else is going out is being asked to do. torture. And I understand where they’re •Being able to chill without feeling guilty – coming from! I’ve been at Queens I should be revising but… for 6 years now and have seen first‐ hand, on a couple of occasions, •Not knowing anything about UCAS, CVs students having to debate LGBTQ+ or personal statements – those were the issues in situa!ons that have ended days! up being largely one‐sided. 1. Cisgender – identifying with the gender you were assigned at birth. 2. Heterosexual – experiencing attraction to the opposite sex, i.e. straight. 3. Homophobia – discriminating against someone due to the fact that they are LGBTQ+. some things that the LGBTQ+ society felt the school had done well with and are grateful for ‐ the fact that this club actually has the space to exist being a big one; and there has been effort for inclusion with some PSE lessons being held about being LGBTQ+, as well as the start of celebra!ng the history Q month in school too. The fact that members of staff have also shown some + solidarity and support for the group through the s!ckers and badges too is T another posi!ve.