Three big rules I know by heart,
Each day this is how we start!
Think of others, that Respect,
I’m Responsible for myself.
Trinity Downtown is my school,
Working Hard is our third rule.
This little verse is a fundamental song students sing (to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) during our Morning Assembly. In my previous post I introduced you to our three big rules, and by now you, too, know the song! This is my final post as I address each of these three foundations of our school community. Trinity Downtown is grounded in a growing climate of Respect, Responsibility, and Hard Work.
How do we define “Hard Work” at Trinity? The meaning of this Big Rule might be a bit more elusive than the clearly evident aspects of Respect and Responsibility. Hard Work is a catch-all phrase with a singular impact on how students act at school. It might be understood as initiative, striving to do one’s best, persistence, overcoming, drive, desire, efficacy (a “can-do” attitude), gumption, resilience, spunk, enterprise, resourcefulness, or grit. It is the “hard-iness” of character, the inner drive to persist until one achieves satisfaction and success.
Again, examples abound on our campus this week:
• Correcting your errors on a Math quiz, because now you finally understand how to do this kind of problem
• Thinking about how you might contribute to the school, committing to be a representative on the Student Council
• Finishing your chores at home before you get down to your homework (sometimes responsibility is just plain hard work)
• Recognizing that you have harmed someone, and working through you own feelings to finally arrive at a truly sincere, honest, and introspective apology
• Being willing to listen to someone’s hard-thought apology, even though that person has hurt and offended you deeply, maybe even more than once
• (Even) Doing your push-ups in Physical Education the correct way with proper form
• Reading independently for Accelerated Reader points
• Displaying patience, kindness, goodness as fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22-23)
Hard Work at Trinity is truly a work in progress, in every classroom, a tough challenge beckoning the resolve of every student, every day. Ask your child about the Hard Work he or she is putting into our learning community!
Dr. Kevin Brockberg
Principal
KBrockberg@TrinityDowntown.com