A few weeks ago I found myself at the bottom of a very steep hill looking up and up and up … I couldn't see the top. We were two thirds of our way along a hike with Year 9 on our Bungonia Camp. My knee was already sore and I hadn’t even started up the hill yet! I knew what was ahead, and most of the other staff with me knew what we were facing. However, the students had never faced this challenge before.
A week of camping with 70 students and staff - hiking, caving, abseiling, orienteering and swimming in freezing water. For some students it was scary, others claimed it was torture, but most were eager for the adventure. I knew what I was in for. I had done it over 25 times already.
We shuffled down the steep hill, climbed over, around or under the boulders and then came the Efflux. Not the Efflux! Over 800m of nearly going straight up. I knew I'd be sore, as I was carrying a student or two's pack by the time we got to the top. I knew leg cramps would hit about half way, and that I would have almost run out of jokes and stories to keep them distracted as we scrambled up the mountain. I knew what was ahead.
At the end of the week I was right! I was sore from the hike, the hard ground I'd slept on, and from squeezing through the caves. I also needed more sleep. If I knew what was coming why did I make myself do it? Because I'd enjoyed every moment! For some the challenge was camping for the first time, stepping into a cave for the first time or cooking packet mac 'n cheese (following the microwave instructions using a pot)! Our students faced challenges and overcame them, some with smiles and laughter, and others with tears and trembling.
What did our students learn through these challenges? Map and compass reading skills, cooking skills, social skills, becoming independent, facing physical and mental challenges, the achievement of facing the unknown, the new, the scary, and succeeding.
Pushing yourself out of your usual boundaries can achieve many benefits to your personal growth and development. By regularly putting yourself out there and making yourself more vulnerable you’re able to build upon your resilience. When we are out of our comfort zones we learn to adapt and can feel better prepared taking on new challenges that we previously may not have felt confident doing. It can teach us to explore new things and be creative in how we approach the ‘new’.
In this world of challenges and change, making a choice of how we face and deal with adversity is so important. What are you going to challenge yourself with next? How are you growing?
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Mr Ken Tosen
Stage 4 Coordinator
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