“Well-being” has a range of definitions. Some suggest that it is the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy, whilst others suggest it is linked to improvement in an individual’s state of health. As the Director of Well-being, I wish I had a magic wand that would ensure happiness for all, but that is not the reality. The well-being of a child is never one-dimensional. It is inextricably linked to their relationships with peers, parents and teachers; to their connectedness to their community; to their belief in their capacity to achieve; to their physical wellbeing; to their emotional resilience; and most importantly, to their sense of self-worth.
At Queenwood, elements which support well-being are embedded within the everyday. It begins with the morning hello from their classroom teacher or their tutor, and runs through the nature of dialogue in their classrooms or the celebration of community in assemblies, to the connections built through the co-curricular program. Yet there are key elements of well-being that need explicit teaching. As children move through different stages of development, they need a toolbox of skills to call upon. Using the CASEL Framework (Collaboration of Academic, Social and Emotional Learning) your daughter is engaged in a well-being program framed by five core competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationships and Responsible Decision-Making.
What this looks like in the classroom is very different from Kindergarten to Year 12 as the nature of themes, topics of discussion must be appropriately geared to the social and emotional development of the child. For example:
- In Kindergarten, self-management will involve discussing how we share in the playground.
- In Year 5, self-management will involve encouraging each girl to be responsible for her daily organisation.
- In Year 7, it will involve identifying and building effective strategies of time management.
- In Year 9, it will involve unpacking how we communicate positively with others and the importance of inclusion and acceptance.
- In Year 12, it will involve equipping them with the skills and language they need for their path in tertiary study and the workforce.
The weekly Well-being Program is delivered with explicit instruction within a framework that creates space for discussions that are thought-provoking and necessarily challenging. If you had joined a Year 7 Well-being session in the last two weeks you would have been asked to consider one of the School’s values, courage. Firstly, we asked why courage is so important that is one of our three values. Then we considered where courage might be evident in our everyday lives. Are we courageous in our application? Are we courageous in our perseverance? Are we courageous in our actions?
To see courage in action, Year 7 watched the short story of 9-year-old Caine, a young boy from Los Angeles. You might wish to watch this video with your daughters (of any age) and be inspired by Caine’s courage to persevere and to risk failure or the judgment of others. As one Year 7 student said, “Caine is not afraid to be himself”.
I commend this beautiful story to you. If your daughter is in Year 7 she will be asking you for boxes very shortly!
So, where do I sit on the meaning of well-being? Inspired by Caine, I believe it is linked to continuous improvement.