The Junction

Friday 7 October 2022

A Note From Mr Green

“Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.”

― Gever Tulley

We talk a lot about resilience at Jebel Ali School. As one of our core values, it resonates across the whole school and building resilience is especially important for our students as they traverse the most pivotal years of their lives. One very simple way to build resilience is by asking the right questions. Questions such as ‘What is a mistake today you have learned from?’ or ‘What were you persistent at today?... What can you learn from this?’ or even ‘What will you do the next time you are in this situation?’ These questions can all help students gain insight into their experiences, track their progress, and plan ahead of time. Over their school lives, this reinforces the value of a growth mindset rather than the value of perfection. In building resilience; with a focus on process, practice and product, we can see a greater sense of self-worth and independence from our students. This sense of developing confidence in young people is crucial for any school that believes in their students and prioritises a growth mindset. These schools support young people to develop their own ability to reflect on progress and build resilience, rather than simply giving up. We are empowering young people to see their own potential growth in improving their performance at every level: whether that be musical, dramatic, sporting, academic or humanitarian. There is a focus on achieving improved grades and improved performance, with a recognition that this can take time and determination.

It’s not just students who build resilience. We all do; myself included. Life and leadership are full of struggles. We all make mistakes as it's an unavoidable part of our lived experience. We can, at times. find life challenging. Whenever I see students, colleagues, friends, or family feeling down, my immediate urge is to step in, to support people and try to help them fix problems. I can provide a listening ear and any support they seek, but ultimately; the solving of the problem and the mending must also come from within. The world can be pretty messy and full of nuanced complexity, but when we let go of the notion of instant perfectionism and grasp the idea that we are all continually learning, we understand that being resilient, having a growth mindset, and understanding that mistakes make us stronger; then we will get better.

This sense of optimism has been drawn from experience but also from my love of football and art. Allow me to explain.

As a lifelong Liverpool supporter, I’ve experienced many highs and lows but it has always been defined by the simple notion that despite any setback, any loss, or disappointment, my team will get better. Never more so was this defined in 2014. That year, Liverpool looked likely to win their first league title in 24 years. Brendan Rodgers' side were in incredible form and were two points ahead of closest challengers Chelsea and four clear of third place Manchester City. The Reds welcomed City to Anfield with just five games of their season to go, knowing a win over their visitors would go a long way to helping them secure the title. Raheem Sterling (then a Liverpool player) and Martin Skrtel put the Reds 2-0 up inside the first half hour before City mounted a comeback in the second half. David Silva got the visitors back into the game before Glen Johnson scored an unfortunate own goal. With just 12 minutes left, Philippe Coutinho struck, following Vincent Kompany's poor clearance, to give Liverpool all three points and a seven-point lead over City, knowing three wins from their final four games would be enough for the title.

I was elated and I watched Steven Gerrard, our great captain, gather his teammates in a huddle for a speech that the TV cameras managed to get in the middle of. Inspiring his team, the midfielder screamed over the cheers from the crowd "We do not let this slip. We do not let this slip. We go again!" At the time it seemed like a moment that would be remembered for all the right reasons, focusing on his teammates before one final push for the title, but unfortunately for the midfielder, it was an incredible moment of foreboding. Anyone who knows what happens next will either be smiling or grimacing at this point in the story. In a showdown clash with Chelsea on April 27th 2014, a win would all but secure the league for Liverpool, but in a cruel twist of fate, Gerrard went on to contradict his own advice by quite literally letting things slip against Jose Mourinho's side. His slip in injury time of a frustrating first half, that Liverpool had dominated without scoring, allowed the Chelsea striker, Demba Ba, through on goal to score. Liverpool lost the game and the title.

The slip was an awful moment in an otherwise brilliant season. But many Liverpool fans, myself included, can still look back at 2013/14 as an incredible season. In fact, it defined Liverpool moving forward. A new manager, Jurgen Klopp, brought in new ideas, new players, and a fresh perspective. During Klopp’s tenure, he has consistently used disappointments, failures, and mistakes as motivation to improve. Miss out on the Champions League in his first season? Qualify the next. Lose the Champions League final? Win the next one. Lose the Premier League? Walk it next time through. My Liverpool team is one that sees failure as the greatest motivation to succeed and it is why they are one of the best teams in the world.

I say the world deliberately. My son, who I have mentioned in previous editions of the Junction, is currently studying in Japan and he reminded me recently of the Japanese art of Kintsugi. For those of you unfamiliar with this craft, it literally means ‘to join with gold.’ It is a crafting method that consists of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold so that a broken piece of crockery is made more beautiful by its flaws. With roots in the Zen philosophy of wabi-sabi, kintsugi celebrates imperfection and offers a rich metaphor for this idea of resilience.

Symbolically, the golden cracks represent the worth of the bowl because of its imperfections rather than in spite of them. The bowl can metaphorically represent all of us, at any time. We can all suffer setbacks and ‘cracks’ in our confidence, but setbacks are guaranteed, it is overcoming them can enhance who we are.

Nothing is ever really perfect (unless we count Trent Alexander- Arnold’s goal scored this week for Liverpool in the Champions League), and so it is in life. In the true spirit of Jebel Ali School, let’s take a moment to embrace our imperfections in all things, the gold seams that fix our flaws, the mistakes that helped us learn; and remember that better is always possible.

Mr. Green - Head of Secondary

Water Colour ECA Years 7,8 and 9

Twenty two students from Year 7,8 and 9 have been learning about water colour paints and how to use them successfully.

The students had great fun in the first week, experiencing a media workshop where they experimented with water colour.

During the 2nd week the students had a go at creating Food watercolour paintings which were inspired by the artist Georgina Luck.

The outcome as you can see are impressive!

Moving on the students have practiced capturing birds and animals using a mixture of watercolour and ink.

Science

9DIR students have started their first Biology topic of their Science GCSE. The students have been looking at how enzymes in the body breakdown substances and also synthesise molecules. They then modelled these processes.

Inclusion

PTA

Article of Interest

Understanding good mental health

On Monday 10 October JAS will be recognising Mental Health awareness day. Students and staff will be invited to wear green clothing on that day and there are a series of talks planned for different year groups throughout the week.

Your mental health influences how you think, feel, and behave in daily life. It also affects your ability to cope with stress, overcome challenges, build relationships, and recover from life’s setbacks and hardships.

Strong mental health isn’t just the absence of mental health problems. Being mentally or emotionally healthy is much more than being free of depression, anxiety, or other psychological issues. Rather than the absence of mental illness, mental health refers to the presence of positive characteristics.

People who are mentally healthy have:

• A sense of contentment.

• A zest for living and the ability to laugh and have fun.

• The ability to deal with stress and bounce back from adversity.

• A sense of meaning and purpose, in both their activities and their relationships.

• The flexibility to learn new skills and adapt to change.

• A balance between work and play, rest and activity, etc.

• The ability to build and maintain fulfilling relationships.

• Self-confidence and high self-esteem.

Having solid mental health doesn't mean that you never go through bad times or experience emotional problems. We all go through disappointments, loss, and change. And while these are normal parts of life, they can still cause sadness, anxiety, and stress. But just as physically healthy people are better able to bounce back from illness or injury, people with strong mental health are better able to bounce back from adversity, trauma, and stress. This ability is called resilience.

People who are emotionally and mentally resilient have the tools for coping with difficult situations and maintaining a positive outlook. They remain focused, flexible, and productive, in bad times as well as good. Their resilience also makes them less afraid of new experiences or an uncertain future. Even when they don't immediately know how a problem will get resolved, they are hopeful that a solution will eventually be found.

Whether you’re looking to cope with a specific mental health problem, handle your emotions better, or simply to feel more positive and energetic, there are plenty of ways to take control of your mental health—starting today. For more on this please read the following article (link below) which looks at boosting mood, handling emotions better and building resilience. It also considers strategies for improving mental health and well-being.

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/building-better-mental-health.htm

Authors: Melinda Smith, M.A., Robert Segal, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D.