Integrity and What it Means to Us

Last week, Class 5L presented a chapel around the thread of integrity. During the chapel, students were shown a reading of the book ‘The Empty Pot’ by Demi. The Empty Pot is the story of Ping, a boy growing up in China, who has a passion for flowers and the environment. The Emperor, who shares Ping’s passion for nature, recognises that his time to find a successor has come and he decides to let the flowers choose for him. He summons children from across the land and hands each one a single seed with the instructions to tend to it and in a years’ time, present what they have been able to grow. Try as he might, Ping could not get his seed to grow and is devastated to see all the flowers and blooms that the other children have been able to produce over the year. But as the Emperor views these flowers, he is far from pleased. Until he reaches Ping and the empty pot. The Emperor smiles broadly and announces to all, “I have found the one person worthy of being Emperor. I do not know where you have obtained your seeds from, as the seeds I gave you have been boiled and could not grow. But I admire Ping who has the courage to stand before me with an empty pot. I reward him with all the riches of the land.”

This story teaches us about honesty, truth and courageousness. I know I reflected deeply on what it means to be true to yourself, carry yourself with integrity and trust that the outcomes, whatever they are, provide an opportunity for growth and strength. Thank you to Class 5L for this powerful message.

The message of ‘The Empty Pot’ also has special implications as we continue to spend increasing amounts of time in the digital world. It is estimated that this year, 4.5 billion people worldwide are using the internet through desktops, tablets and laptops and an astounding 22.31 million people interacting with the internet in Australia alone (https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-australia).

Our children aren’t immune to the need to be tech-savvy and we, as adults, can learn a multitude of skills from them. Whilst they spend more and more time in digital landscapes, it is essential that we are proactive in reminding them of the responsibilities that come with the use of digital technologies and inform our children about how to be safe and remain vigilant in a virtual space. The ever-expanding use of the internet and digital platforms are continually increasing the agency and efficacy of our young people and their learning needs. As this continues to expand, we also need specific instructions about promoting agency and efficacy whilst on-line.

At the College, we take digital citizenship very seriously. This year we have broadened our uptake of the eSmart digital licence through the Alannah and Madeline Foundation to include both the Foundation and Junior Colleges. Years 3, 4 and 5 will continue to use the primary digital licence and for the first time, the Prep – Year 2 classes will use the ‘Digital Licence with Buddy’ program that deals with digital citizenship at an age-appropriate level and will be delivered as a whole class activity. Learn more about the Digital Licence with Buddy program at: https://static-digitallicence-com.

The added benefit of working with the Alannah and Madeline Foundation is the input from experts in the field such as The Office of the E-safety Commissioner, Michael Carr-Gregg and Google. Their website has many excellent resources to better understand Digital Safety and Citizenship and can be accessed at: https://www.esmart.org.au.

Mr Damian Davis, Head of Staff and Students P-5