Catholic Identity

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@tasmadmonk - Fr. Mike Delaney

launcestoncatholicparish.wordpress.com

Last week we (Sean Gill, Denise Long and myself) presented a workshop at the Diocesan Schools National Colloquium on School Improvement. 

Getting to Cairns was an ordeal (around 15 hours) and with our Workshop looming and preparation minimal, Frank Brennan stepped up to the dais as a key note speaker.   Frank is an Australian Jesuit, Human Rights Lawyer and advocate.

My plans to try and work out what I was going to say in the workshop were challenged by the engagement of Frank's keynote; his narrative, humour and challenging content.

There were three quotes from his keynote that continue to sit with me, churn and challenge!

'Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak!'

'The mysticism of the Sacrament has a social character. When we receive the Sacrament turn a blind eye to the marginalised, to inequality and injustice, we receive the Sacrament unworthily.'

'We need to be a Church of the baptised not just a Church of the ordained.'

I am sure there would be divergent responses and views in response to hearing this.  

What would our response be if inserted the phrase ' Catholic Education' instead? 

What if the quotes read as follows:

Catholic Education is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak!

Catholic Education has a social character. When Catholic Education turns a blind eye to the marginalised (within and outside of each school), to inequality and injustice we dishonour our purpose.

Catholic Education needs to be a Church for the baptised (students) not just the ordained (staff -TCEO and in Schools).

We continue to discuss and grapple with the concept of Catholic Identity within our system locally and nationally. 

Is our historical Identity the same in 2017? Should it be?

Does it need to be? 

Who are our schools for? 

Who is in most need of our schools? 

Our students, classes, and schools do not belong to any of us. Whether we are the Director, TCEO staff, principals, teachers or staff, we are guardians and custodians for a period of time.  We are guardians of charism, history, vision, and mission while striving to be what we need to be now and working towards what we need to be tomorrow.

The challenge for our Church and our Educational system is to get caught up in pursuit of answers but to keep 'bending' our conversation towards these questions. 

Trivia: Last week's question:

The answer to last week's question was Brent Wilson.

This week's Trivia Question:

Which Principal is in their Hockey Club's Team of the Century (not this century by the 20th)?

Tweets of the Week:

Around our Schools

Marketing and Enrolments Strategic Planning Meeting at Marist Regional College 

with surrounding schools

A-E, Naplan comparisons: Dave Mohr
Northern Principal Conversation: Tension Woods Centre 

 Staff Formation “Going Deeper” / Classroom Observation Templates: Janaya Plummer
Northern Principal Conversation: Tenison Woods Centre

 Learning Support:  Julia Kramer
Northern Principal Conversation: Tenison Woods Centre

Staff Consult: Our Lady of Lourdes

Silent Tragedy Impacting our Children

“Stop wearing your wishbone 

where your backbone ought to be.” 

– Elizabeth Gilbert 

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@tasmadmonk - Fr. Mike Delaney
launcestoncatholicparish.wordpress.com

Victoria Prooday is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist from Canada. In one of her most recent Blogs, she really challenged parents around what she called a 'silent tragedy' unfolding with our children. She states:

 ' even if you disagree with my perspective, please, just follow the recommendations at the end of the article. Once you have seen the positive changes, you will understand why I say what I say..'

There is a silent tragedy developing right now, in our homes, and it concerns - our children.  In my professional work I have witnessed this tragedy unfolding in front of my eyes. Our children are in a devasting emotional state! 

• 1 in 5 children have mental health problems
• 43% increase in ADHD
• 37% increase in teen depression.
• 200% increase in suicide rate in 10-14-year-olds 

Yes as painful as it can be to admit, in many cases, we the parents, are the answer to many of our kids' struggles. Unfortunately often with the environment and parenting styles, we are providing to our children, we are rewiring their brains and contributing to their challenges in everyday life.

Yes, there are always children who have serious disabilities and needs. I am not talking about children in these situations.  I am talking about the children who are being deprived of a healthy childhood that has at its centre:

• Emotionally available parents
• Clearly defined limits and guidance
• Responsibilities
• Balanced nutrition and adequate sleep
• Movement and Outdoors
• Creative play, social interaction, opportunities for unstructured play and boredom

INSTEAD, children are being served with:

• Digitally distracted parents
• Indulgent parents who let kids 'rule the world'
• Sense of entitlement rather than responsibility
• Inadequate sleep and unbalanced nutrition.
• Sedentary indoor lifestyle
• Endless stimulation, technological babysitters, and absence of dull moments.

If we want out children to grow up happy and healthy we need to go back to the basics.  We need to set limits and remember that you are your child's PARENT, not a friend. Offer kids well-balanced lifestyle filled with what they need and don't be afraid to say 'No!'

• Spend a least one hour outside a day
• Have a daily tech free dinner
• Involve children in at least one chore a day.
• Implement consistent sleep routines, ensure your child gets lots of sleep and that the bedroom is technology free.
• Don't pack your child's backpack
• Don't carry their backpack
• Don't bring to school their forgotten lunch box and don't peel a banana for a 5-year-old.  Teach them skills rather than do it for them.
• Don't feel responsible for being your child's complete entertainment crew.
• Don't use technology as the cure for boredom.
• Avoid using technology during meals, in cars, restaurants
• Turn off your phones until kids are in bed
• Be your child's emotional coach. Teach them to recognize and deal with frustration and anger
• Teach greetings, eye contact, turn taking, sharing, table manners and how to make conversation....'

I found myself nodding in agreement with many of the points raised, as well as feeling guilty about some of the practices outlined that we have lived out as parents as well. 

I know in our home, when we limit and in fact take away ICT, our kids tend to play together more, be more creative and active in their play, get outside more, get along better for longer and after a period of 'detox' not miss it.

Some pretty good reasons to reduce use and increase human interaction.


St Finn Barr's: 
NAIDOC Week Pray Liturgy 

NAIDOC Week Flag Raising Ceremony in the Launceston Mall

Trivia Question:

Which Principal has been sharing that a parent told him he looks like Sean Connery?

EQ in our Children

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@tasmadmonk - Fr. Mike Delaney

launcestoncatholicparish.wordpress.com

When emotions run high, people do and say things they normally would not. When you’re a young child, this is what you do all the time. Sadly it is what all adults do some of the time and more than we should.

Emotional intelligence encompasses awareness, understanding, and the ability to express and manage one’s emotions.

Research suggests emotional intelligence is twice as strong a predictor as IQ of later success. The study demonstrated that self-control predicted success better than IQ, socioeconomic status, and family environment. Those children high in self-control were also healthier, made more money, and were less likely to have criminal records or trouble with alcohol.

The first piece of emotional intelligence is awareness and understanding of emotions. We have to understand and accept before we can control and express our emotions. Emotions are not an inconvenience, but rather a piece of human evolution that serves a purpose.

Our emotions are to be respected and reflected upon not suppressed. Sadness is an emotion uniquely capable of slowing us down, both in thought and motor activity. This can allow us the opportunity to reflect on the source of our emotional upset and take a closer look at the antecedents of it.

In contrast, anger speeds us up, mobilising intense energy and sending blood to our extremities. While evolutionary, this geared us up for a fight; in modern times, it allows the sustained energy for a fight of a different nature. Anger cues us that our rights have been violated and helps us mobilise to protect against future threats.

We need these experiences develop self-control and emotional intelligence. Dr. John Gottman observed how parents respond to their children’s emotions in an effort to understand how emotional intelligence develops. Dr. Gottman’s research shows children of parents who emotion coach are physically healthier, do better in school, and get along better with friends. 

In our schools how do we as the 'adults' go with self-control of our emotions?  

How do we emotion coach our own and other's responses? How much time do we actually spend reflecting on our behaviours, how they are seen, the motivation and intent behind the behaviours?

In my experience as staff in schools, this is one area where we ask students to reflect on and enhance their EQ while putting a little time, energy and resources into doing the same for ourselves.

Last week around half of our Principals across the North and North West participated in a Life Style Inventory (LSI) self-survey.  This week remaining Principals will participate in a self-survey and ask for feedback from 8 other colleagues within their school.

This will give feedback on how we see our own behaviours and how other's see our behaviours (while not knowing the exact thinking behind the behaviours).

This is leadership in the pure sense.  Being willing to know more about who you are and how this influences and impacts behaviours that influence and impact on others.

Leadership should be first and foremost about Who you are? Then Why do you lead?  Then lastly How we lead and What we lead?  Often we have had the order back to front.

I am really looking forward to this next period in our system where we as leaders and as teachers focus on the questions of WHO and WHY much more than WHAT.

---

The importance, resilience and richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages will be the focus of national celebrations marking NAIDOC Week 2017.

The 2017 theme - Our Languages Matter - aims to emphasise and celebrate the unique and essential role that Indigenous languages play in cultural identity, linking people to their land and water and in the transmission of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song.

Some 250 distinct Indigenous language groups covered the continent at first (significant) European contact in the late eighteenth century. Most of these languages would have had several dialects, so that the total number of named varieties would have run to many hundreds.

Around our Region:

Come, Holy Spirit
Replace the tension within us with a holy relaxation.
Replace the turbulence within us with a sacred calm.
Replace the anxiety within us with a quiet confidence.
Replace the fear within us with a strong faith.
Replace the bitterness within us with the sweetness of grace.
Replace the darkness within us with a gentle light.
Replace the coldness within us with a loving warmth.
Replace the night within us with your light.
Replace the winter within us with your spring.
Straighten our crookedness.
Fill our emptiness.
Dull the edge of our pride.
Sharpen the edge of our humility.
Light the fires of our love.
Quench the flames of our lust.
Let us see ourselves as you see us
That we may see You.

Amen.

Emerging Chefs by all accounts at the Principal's Retreat recently

OLOL Students leading the Principal's Meeting in prayer.

 Pencils are given out as part of recognising these moments and the presence of the Spirit of  Jesus at Stella Maris. 

Birthday wall for staff at Stella Maris.  Wearing the Birthday Hat for the photo gallery

Birthday cake for Rod Linhart and his birthday earlier this month.  Age?

Mrs Illingworth Principal at St. Finn Barr's receiving morning tea made by students. 

Selfless

'When all is said and done more is said than done!
So what will YOU DO!

If you have not watched Neale Daniher's speech to Melbourne players last weekend it is worth every minute!

The last 3-4 years of Neale's life and his remaining time here on Earth is his legacy!  He will be remembered and admired for this far beyond any sporting glories he has achieved. On the video he states something close to the following:

' There is a continuum with selfish at one end and selfless at the other.  Nothing great can happen when it is near selfish. To be great together you have to be over here (selfless)....  you can say what you like but your teammates they know by what you do.....
                      so WHAT WILL YOU DO?


As Neale states 'to be great together you have to be over here (selfless).'  It would be naive to believe that everyone working within C.E.T. operate from the side of selfless in the Neale Daniher continuum.  It would be naive to assume that all people are motivated as Neale says for 'meaning and purpose....ahead of the individual bucket list..'

What do your teammates see with you as their colleague? 
Do they see someone focused on selfless more than selfish?

The answer may be difficult to swallow for some of us. I struggle to be at my best like the next person.  At the same time, I see people who consistently give public witness to their faith in attending Mass while struggling to live out the Gospel message in their actions the remaining six days in the week.  I really struggle with this.  When all is said and done more is said than done!

The ability to be selfless as a default behaviour, to have a sense of gratitude does have benefits.   

Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions, ranging from envy and resentment to frustration and regret. Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., a leading gratitude researcher, has conducted multiple studies on the link between gratitude and well-being. His research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.

Grateful people are more likely to behave in a prosocial manner, even when others behave less kind. Study participants who ranked higher on gratitude scales were less likely to retaliate against others, even when given negative feedback. They experienced more sensitivity and empathy toward other people and a decreased desire to seek revenge.
  
So to my way of thinking then, there are benefits to your overall wellbeing in being grateful and selfless.It is worth doing even if it is for your own selfish reasons! 

If we as staff in Catholic schools within Tasmania made even a small effort towards improving our own selflessness, the impact would be significant.  We would be when all is said and done doing more than saying.  We as communities would be giving more authentic witness to our faith!

 Around the Schools:

Gathering space near the main entry to 

St. Peter Chanel Smithton

Building works well under way 

at St. Peter Chanel Smithton

Jim Ireland CETKP 'ing at St. Joseph's Queenstown

Dance Fever at St. Joseph's Queenstown 

- great experience for the students

NIJSSA Cross Country Carnival for Launceston Catholic and Independent Schools