From the Deputy Head Master – Summer Hill

From the Deputy Head Master – Summer Hill

Several years ago, on a trip to Brisbane to visit Anglican Church Grammar School, Churchie, I was given a copy of a publication called, Making of Men-101 Tips. It was such an excellent summary that I kept it in my drawer for years. Next term’s Life Skills Programme will turn its attention to articulating to your sons the version of manhood and masculinity that Trinity wants to encourage. We are committed to working with you towards helping your sons become decent men, the ultimate aim of a Trinity Grammar School education. We encourage it incidentally, by the example of the adults who work at Trinity, we encourage it proactively through the Life Skills programme and the co-curricular programme, and we do it reactively when your sons make mistakes.

Many of this selection of tips comes, with permission, from that little book from Churchie. I have published them in the Bulletin before, and most of them are common sense, but, as with many truisms, they gather both power, cultural currency and momentum from repetition and sharing.

So, here they are.

  1. Set your expectations for your son just a little higher than you think he can achieve
  2. Understand that your son doesn’t just learn by doing as you say. More often, he learns by watching and imitating you
  3. Encourage the process rather than the result (this has been the focus of this term’s Life Skills Programme)
  4. Allow your son to experience the logical consequences of his actions as is his right
  5. Understand that it is the certainty of the consequence, not the severity that is the key
  6. Insist your son does chores
  7. Be an authoritative, consistent parent, not a friend to your son
  8. Encourage humility rather than hubris
  9. Know your son’s friends
  10. Explain that compromise is an inevitable part of human relationships
  11. Allow time for your son to talk and don’t fill the silence
  12. Insist that your son respects women and girls
  13. Reject the excuse for boorish behaviour that, boys will be boys
  14. Respond decisively to disrespect, rudeness and profanity
  15. Pass on life’s lessons by sharing your experience

Congratulations and well done to the boys and young men of the School on a successful House Track & Field Championships last Monday. The weather was perfect, and I was delighted to see both the turnout and the enthusiasm. The House Captains did a sterling job of rallying the troops to ensure a day of spirited competition. My thanks also to my colleagues, especially the Sportsmaster, Mr Kearsley, the Director of Co-curricular, Mr White, and the Director of Campus Administration, Mr Wirth, who co-ordinated the event. Well done to Taubman House who won their second consecutive Championship laurel wreath on the day.

Well done also to my colleagues in the Music Department for an excellent Winter Concert on Wednesday evening. It has been a busy couple of weeks for them with the Battle of the Bands, the Gala Concert, the Winter Concert and, next week, the Annual Ceremonial Parade. It has been lovely to see that the metaphorical baton that is the extraordinary legacy of Mr Phillip Pratt has been handed on so seamlessly to Dr McGregor and my colleagues in the Department. I was particularly impressed with Elton Huang’s 9Ar performance of Chopin’s Nocturne in C# Minor, Lucas Fan’s 7He performance of the 2nd Movement of Elgar’s Concerto for ‘Cello in E Minor, and Andy Lin’s 8WJ sublime Requiebros. Well done!

Bradley Barr | Deputy Head Master – Summer Hill

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