Principal's Message Week 9 Term 3

We have all been told not to judge a book by its cover. Unfortunately, it happens very regularly in life.

A small window is all that is needed for people to arrive at hastily drawn conclusions about someone else. Apparently, jobs are won and lost in about the first seven seconds of an interview. Once we make up our minds on someone, our position is difficult to shift.

Hastening to judgement can be tricky and fraught. I know that I have met many people whom it has taken me a long time to get to know well, and my initial feelings have been challenged after bothering to inquire more, and to let time be the judge, not me.

Similarly, we often describe people in a particular way – because of a personality trait, because of the way they look, dress, walk, talk, or because of their interests. I am often asked these days about my running and am often described as “a runner”. Truth be told, I’m not that good, but I do enjoy it. Once upon a time I would never have been described as a runner. The go to would certainly have been as a musician.

Humorously, a boy recently said he didn’t recognise me because he saw me on the weekend and I wasn’t wearing a suit and tie. By his own admission, he recognised that indeed I exist outside of the College environment, and on weekends too! Sometimes I even wear jeans and a t-shirt!

I wonder how often we decide on behalf of someone else who they are, what they stand for, and what kind of person they might be, because of what they “do” for a living. What we do for a living is not the total of who we are. I know that we can all be misled from time to time.

Occasionally, we don’t present our best selves on first meeting. We then have to work doubly hard to alter a view that might have quickly become cemented about us. Harsh and unflattering judgements of others can be damaging, and premature. Our faith calls us to respect all and offer every person the dignity that is their right.

Let’s work hard to encourage our children to see possibility in others. Even when they are not at their most perfect. Let’s also help them persevere with someone else to give them every chance to get it “right”.

Relationships take time to develop. Encouraging a curious mindset about others opens us up to new relationship possibilities. Who knows who we might miss out on getting to really know in a deeper way, if we don’t probe, listen, and learn. And add a healthy dose of time into the mix.

I would hope people describe me as more than a runner. Or a musician, or a school principal. How do people describe you?

Dr Craig Wattam