Habits. We all have them. Healthy habits. Unhealthy habits. Good habits. Bad habits. Habits are powerful…they influence our character. These habits don't just happen overnight, they are behaviours that we repeat until they become second nature. A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Roland spoke about developing healthy habits while leading out in staff worship. He spoke about starting small…having a realistic goal…something attainable, and when you find yourself achieving this, extend and grow. He was specifically speaking about spending time with God and having devotional habits that will grow your relationship with Him. This week, Mr Campbell has been leading out in staff worship and the focus has been on habits, with special attention to our eternal habits: devotional, prayer life and service habits. He shared a quote with us by Warren Buffet that really resonated with him. Buffet claimed "Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken". This extended my thinking beyond my prayer life and challenged me with little habits that aren't necessarily positive, that perhaps seem too hard to break. This then led me to thinking about what habits am I displaying that may be influencing others, especially our precious students.

Healthy habits are important to instil in the lives of our children. If they can develop healthy habits early on in life, this can bring lifelong benefits. What healthy habits do you wish to grow in your children? A love for Jesus? Good social skills? A love for learning? Good manners? Healthy food choices and physical activities? A respect for the world they live in? A love of nature? Strong family values? The best way I believe to develop these habits in our children is to be a role model and set a good example. Exhibit your best to encourage their best. Celebrate their positive habits. Spend time educating your children about their choices and be realistic with your expectations. Habits are like a muscle…the more you use it…the more it grows.

A few years ago, our Admin team travelled to New Zealand to participate in our biannual Leadership Conference for Administrators in our Adventist Schools. One of the keynote speakers spoke about the brain, the power of the brain and the brain pathways. I remember being shocked at something that was shared about our brain that connects to our daily habits. I believe it was said that about 40% of our daily actions are not conscious decisions we choose to make, but are habits! Habits shape our lives and for something to become a habit, it is said that we must repeat the activity at least 21 times or for 21 days before a new habit takes root in our brain.

I have sought the wisdom of some of our Year 5 students in regards to the importance of developing healthy habits in their lives and what are some of their habits they are trying to grow or even break in their own lives. I should have asked them earlier in the week and they could have written this article for me as the wisdom they shared with me is beyond their years! I questioned them whether habits could be good or bad and they responded with a strong yes. I was informed that we probably shouldn't make habits so big that we can't stop them, even if we want to and that good habits can be challenging. I was told that habits are formed when you act upon something more than once, and a good way to develop good habits is to pretend that something is already a habit and do it until it becomes a habit. Some habits these students are trying to develop and break include learning to encourage others instead of being quick to mimic people, learning to keep their mouth quiet when their reaction will only make things worse, cleaning and helping around the house instead of arguing with siblings and stop biting their nails. I was impressed that these students could see the connection between creating habits and breaking habits, as well as the importance of having significant adults in their lives modelling these good habits to them. I asked these students to reflect upon the quote by Wayne Buffet I shared earlier in this article about chains of habit. One wise child explained that the chains of habit develop when you don't notice they have increased until it is too late. Another child expanded on this and said that you need a key to your heart to unlock any bad habits as your heart controls your choices. Wow! What insight from our children - we can learn so much from them.

As I close, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our school families for a wonderful term. I am exhausted just even thinking of all the amazing events, learning and activities that have taken place in these last 11 weeks. We wish you all a blessed Easter season and special time with your family and look forward to the new opportunities that Term 2 will bring.

Blessings,
Tamara Bernoth