Deputy Principal Report

by Deputy Principal, Mrs Elizabeth Ryan

Habits, Outcomes and Long-Term Goals

At the bottom of my Christmas sack last year was a book called Atomic Habits written by John Clear and while it was not a genre that I would normally lean towards I read it and I am so thankful that I did.  Clear encapsulates and addresses many of the professional development sessions offered to our boys when it comes to improving both academic outcomes and personal goals.  He stresses that it is not the massive changes that we make in our lives that will lead to success but rather the small incremental steps that we take along the way that will eventually have an impact.  This certainly applies to study and to sport.

Rather than going hard and fast we need our actions to be small little incremental steps which in turn become habits and that it is these habits which will eventually have a far greater impact.  Going hard and fast becomes too hard and thus not sustainable.  The same applies to student study and homework.  Small changes and small incremental steps will ultimately have the greatest impact as it breaks down and removes the friction that stands in the way of us achieving our goals.

I don’t expect our boys to pick up and read this novel at this point in their lives, but I would highly recommend all parents to do so as they are the primary educators of their sons and in my opinion this book provides all who read it with valuable tools to support and guide our boys.