As we approach the end of another year, it is not unusual for some students to get a bit restless. At the moment we are dealing with a problem in our Junior Secondary classes with widespread disobedience. Perhaps because it is close to Christmas, some students feel it does not really matter what happens, but their behaviour does matter.

Schools have rules to ensure proper order amongst many students and staff. We are a microcosm of society so just as we need rules for how we conduct ourselves in Australia (or any other country), we need rules for how we conduct ourselves in our school. These rules are not onerous or demanding but help to ensure order, safe conduct, a clean environment and so on.  When we ask students to wear their uniform correctly, not chew gum at school, not play with the rubbish in the bins or not duck across to the 7-11 shop after school, we are asking them to join our community by their compliance.

Disobedience is one of the great problems facing humanity. It is an issue we all face both individually and corporately. It stems from a desire to be a law unto ourselves and an inbuilt resistance to authority that all humans have. As Christians we rely on the explanation the Scriptures give us of the source of this trait. We say it began when God created the world and placed the first humans into the Garden of Eden he had built for them. They were free to do anything they liked and had only one small rule to keep – don’t eat of one particular tree. Theologians say this was a test of their will to see if they would willingly obey their Creator or not. God wanted people who freely chose to obey him and be in fellowship with him. This was a demonstration of their willingness to accept their position in relation to him and respond in loving obedience to his leadership.

The account tells us however that they succumbed to the whispering words of the Evil One who twisted God’s words to them. They ate of the fruit, disobedience entered the world and our relationship to God and to each other was changed. The issue was not the eating of a piece of fruit. Many students when confronted by disobedience, seek to downplay it and say, “ But I was only chewing a piece of gum, I was only looking for something in the bin, I was asked by mum to get something from the shop.” Disobedience is soon followed by lies and cover-up. It has a way of compounding a situation way beyond what it originally was.

Our role as parents and teachers, is to help our children see that disobedience is a big problem and it does not lead to a better way of life. It breaks relationships, harms good society and causes personal harm. We need to work together to teach our children the value and importance of obedience - willingly submitting to the rules to show our commitment to the group, to others and to our community.

Please work with us as we help our young teenagers learn the importance of this lesson so they may be equipped to be contributing citizens in society and not a drain on it.

Phillip Nash

Principal