Jesus wept. John 11:35
In a world of instant communication, where face-to-face phone calls can be made from a moving train in Melbourne to a car hurtling down a highway in Malawi (I did this the other day, as I chatted with my best mate – he’s a missionary there), multiple access points for your work and personal emails (smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop, watch …), an endless array of social media variants, it can be easy to expect that anyone of us will be available to talk/respond/feedback at any time of the day or night.
The temptation is real; when an injustice or a blind spot is noticed, the hope it can be instantly resolved, we quickly move to a position of expecting the leader to make a telling decision, which will ensure affected are considered and the matter is dealt with, once and for all.
We would all acknowledge these days that this expectation is unrealistic. And then it becomes a matter of opinion as to what, then, is realistic to expect in terms of people’s responsiveness.
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It can get complicated in a school.
A few of the issues we will consider in working through an issue might be:
the age of the students involved; the family circumstances of all involved; national privacy principles and how they impact what the school is able to disclose in any dialogue about a third party; who in the leadership and teaching staff need to be included in the conversations that lead to resolution; what is lawful; are there any legislated limitations we must be aware of; are there any prior events that need to be considered.
If we add in the following personal character and emotional dynamics:
introvert vs extrovert; driven vs casual; thoughtful vs impulsive; energetic vs tired; hopeful vs despondent; excitable vs phlegmatic – the list goes on …
And then, as a Christian school, we will intentionally add:
being godly in our behaviour; not gossiping; allowing for natural justice processes to take their course; seeking to understand what Christ-like behaviour would look like in our actions; how grace is applied; juggling that with any direct Biblical instruction about the consequence of sinful actions; seeking to understand whether God’s timing lines up with our sense of that; knowing when we, as school leadership, have got it wrong, admitting that, seeking forgiveness and seeking restitution where possible.
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I was struck recently by the focus of a devotion I heard, in which it was pointed out the number of times Jesus met a complicated situation with a non-speaking response; where he asked questions rather than gave answers; where he left the situation entirely – just left. I have no doubt this was not because he didn’t care, or didn’t want to get involved. I am sure it was a matter of profoundly deep prayer for him – that his audible and physical response were only a small part of how he dealt with the situation. Repeatedly, Jesus prayed to His Father – almost certainly as a trust offering regarding how the situation he was in would be resolved.
We will endeavour to model Christ’s response here – in its many facets, manifestations and expressions – amidst all the complexities of life that bless us in this believing community of 750+ families and their 1250+ children. Thanks for walking with us on this journey.
educating 4 life, too 
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