Kaelene McCaull, Head of Primary
Last Thursday, our K-6 students were treated to a special visit from the NED organisation as part of their Ned’s Resiliency Ride tour. The engaging and dynamic presenter, Shaun, captured the attention of students across all year levels with his impressive yo-yo skills.
Shaun used his performance to teach three key ideas:
- Not giving up
- Encouraging others
- Doing your best.
These simple yet profound concepts were brought to life through his storytelling, humour, and, of course, a series of jaw-dropping yo-yo tricks that left students both amazed and inspired.
The school hall was filled with laughter, clapping, and enthusiastic participation as Shaun reminded us all that challenges are opportunities to grow.
However, the learning did not stop once the yo-yo was packed away. Back in classrooms, our teachers encouraged students to reflect more deeply on the idea of resilience from a Christian perspective.
While it is important to persevere and do our best, as God’s people, dearly loved by Him, we are never expected to rely solely on our own strength. Students were reminded that God is with us through every difficulty. It is in His strength that we can use the challenges of living in this broken world to grow in character and faith. One of our Year 3 students put it beautifully,
“Never give up and remember that God is always with you.”
Despite the relative wealth and comfort we experience in Australia, we cannot expect this life to be easy. This is something we can all attest to as we reflect on our own life experiences, and something we are reminded of in the Bible. In John 16:33, Jesus says,
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
What a great comfort it is to know that this same sovereign God, who has overcome the world, walks beside us in every trial.
In our classrooms, we also took the opportunity to reflect on how God places us in community. We are not alone in our struggles, and part of being resilient means leaning on one another, offering support and encouragement, and serving each other in love.
Resilience is not about pretending everything is okay or ignoring the hard times. True resilience, rooted in faith, means acknowledging our struggles while trusting that God is using these moments to shape us into the people He is calling us to be.
For the time being, Yo-Yos have become an optional part of our primary playgrounds. In a world rich with experiences of instant gratification, it has been wonderful to walk through the playground and see students practising to build new skills that take time, perseverance, and patience to develop. Even better has been the experience of watching students help and support each other in the pursuit of these new skills. From watching older students unknot and rewind the strings of younger students ’ yo-yos, to hearing them share ideas and encouragement, and finding joy in others’ achievements, it has been a great reminder of God’s wisdom in placing us in community.
Through the NED incursion and the follow-up conversations we have been having in our classrooms, our students are learning that resilience isn’t something you have or don’t have, but rather something we can develop as part of our character through the ups and downs of this life. As we trust in God’s strength, we grow in godly character, becoming people who can face life’s challenges with courage, compassion, and hope.
We’re thankful to NED and to Shaun for bringing an important message to our school for us to reflect on, and even more thankful that we can anchor that message in the eternal hope we have in Christ.
