Make your bed: little things that can change your life and maybe the world

Make your bed: little things that can change your life and maybe the world
OnStage & Young Scientist Award

Left: HSC Drama (2018) Chipo Riva and Molly Paradice; right: Sophie Goodisson and Sophie Baldwin (Year 5, 2018)

Make your bed...clean your shoes...tidy your room... greet the day with energy...say ‘thank you’ and mean it (as early in the day as possible)...and sit down to enjoy a good breakfast... (the little things in life matter...)...and, when the pressure is really on, ‘sing – from the heart’ in unison or in harmony with your friends...

In just two weeks all of Frensham will be ‘in residence as a Year group’ – on Camp or involved in Leadership or Senior Studies programmes that we consider core - not extra - in terms of School experience.

Early last year, prolific reader Mrs Cherylynne Williams (our recently retired Head of Information Services and Careers and a Coordinator of Year 12) shared inspiration from a small sample of her summer vacation reading – a short text by former U.S Admiral William H McRaven, titled ‘Make your bed: little things that can change your life and maybe the world’:

Chapter 1: ‘If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.’
‘If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another...Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter...If, by chance, you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made - that you made - and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.’

Few students would be thinking about the daily chore of bed-making in the way McRaven establishes the first of his ten Principles for Life...or would relate to the physical challenges he describes in his next eight Chapters, based on his experience and distinguished service in the US Navy - 37 years as a Navy SEAL.

However, the tenth principle was immediately understood – the power of one person to take a stand – or offer hope – or show courage...joined by the first follower...then another...then everyone..:

‘The instructors told us we could leave the mud if five men would quit – only five men, and we could get out of the oppressive cold. There was a warm fire with hot coffee and chicken soup just waiting. Looking around the mud flat, it was apparent that some students were about to give up. There were still over eight hours until the sun came up. Suddenly above the howl of the wind came a voice. One voice raised in song.  It was tired and raspy, but loud enough to be heard by all. One voice became two. And two became three. And before long, everyone in the class was singing. And somehow, the mud seemed a little warmer, and the wind a little tamer, and the dawn not so far away...’

In two weeks from now... On Camp or through the Leadership and Senior Studies programmes (if all goes to plan) we should see each other at varying levels of comfort; we should be well out of our comfort zone for significant parts of the three days. We will be urging everyone to do the basic daily chores with good grace – say thank you and mean it (as early as possible in the day) and ‘sing’ when the real pressure builds...

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Newsletter Highlights

  • Ms Robson and Ms Chauncy both speak powerfully this week in Gib Gate News about the need to embed ‘reading’ (of good literature) in young people’s lives – so that the reading habit is ‘forever’. I commend their ideas to your attention because it takes very little to make a difference, if we are deliberate in modelling and nurturing that habit.
  • In Frensham News, we bring you information on the Creatable Project – another example of our commitment to developing 21st Century skills in our students through the constant exploration and expansion of our curriculum…very exciting for students and staff alike.
  • And don’t miss our annual summary of HSC 2018 Tertiary Offers…showing the remarkable achievements and breadth of interest of our 2018 students. My congratulations to all!

Read this week's Information & Acknowledgment  

Ms Julie Gillick
Head of Frensham

Head of Frensham Schools