From the 2022 Bayview School Captains: The Importance of Persevering and Being Humble

Ava E and Aden R | 2022 Bayview School Captains | Grammar News | 25 February 2022

  I’ve failed over and over again. And that is why I succeed." 

- Michael Jordan

Motivation can be defined as where you show an act of willingness and desire towards doing something and giving it your all. The start of a brand new year at School has meant that we have had to switch our holiday-mode off and our learning-mode back on. One of the ways we have kept our motivation in check, is to write down some learning goals that we want to achieve this year. We plan on channelling our LEARNING@STLUKE'S dispositions to help us achieve these goals. 

The Winter Olympics have been a good example of showing what human beings are capable of achieving when they persevere and challenge themselves. The games have also shown us what humility looks like.

If you have watched previous Winter Olympics, you would have noticed two amazing athletes that have shown determination and perseverance, their names are Dale Begg-Smith and Torah Bright. These two athletes have shown perseverance by trying their best both in their training and in their performance for their event, despite the challenges they face. They both have won a gold medal and two silver medals. But these athletes have shown us that it doesn't matter if you win or lose, continuing to persevere means that you will get there. These two athletes have shown a lot of perseverance, determination and motivation, without these qualities Dale Begg-Smith and Torah Bright may not have won any medals or trophies. 

At St Luke’s, learners who display humility are happy to learn from others, give other people an opportunity to participate and they support the whole group or class through their contributions or encouraging others. The Olympics are typically full of inspirational moments and the 2022 Winter Games are no exception. Athletes from around the world displayed humility and inspired the next generation.

One example of humility I’ve noticed was when Italian alpine skier Sofia Goggia, lent her skis to a competitor and defending champion Mikaela Shiffrin, along with a post-it note that said, 'you can fly on these skis.' Mikaela, unfortunately, crashed out and Sofia went on to win her first-ever gold medal in the giant slalom. This shows that being humble leads to great things.

Humility was also displayed by Brittany Bowe who won the speed skate 1000m trial event for the United States (US) team. In the trial Brittany’s teammate Erin Jackson, who was expected to win, had slipped over and missed out on selection to the US Winter Olympics team. Without bragging or being selfish, Brittany humbly gave Erin her spot in the team. In a sign that being humble is awesome, a place in the 500m speed skating event became available and it was offered to Brittany Bowe. Brittany won gold in the 500m, and Erin Jackson won gold in the 1000m. Both girls were so happy for each other and showed us at St Luke’s that humility is an important character trait.

We have an opportunity to show humility and perseverance in our learning, whether it’s a subject you really like or a subject you are good at, or whether it is content that you might find challenging. We can view this as a time to persevere, give it our all and try our best. We can also take this opportunity to be compassionate towards our peers and more aware of our surroundings, acknowledging that others might have more experience or are more capable. Using these dispositions might even surprise you by how far you push yourself and see what amazing things you are capable of when you persevere and show humility.