I moved my two children from a school where they were very reluctant to go to school to this current school which has a chaplain.
The chaplain offered a parenting course which I attended. I had been brought up with a single dad and so did not have a mother to ask, ‘Now what do I do?’ when challenged with parenting questions.
The course helped me to rethink how I was parenting and how to look at myself. ‘I still have friends from that course.’ I now trusted the chaplain.
Once *Donald and *Emma started seeing chaplain, *Amanda, their attitudes started to change. For one, they now became eager to get to school. They also learned much from her about how to navigate life and how to think through the choices they made. If they were discussing an issue they couldn’t resolve, I would hear them say, ‘Remember what Amanda taught us?’ The kids’ faces would light up whenever they talked about her and would remind each other of what she had taught them.
At his Grade 6 graduation, Donald thanked Amanda, the chaplain for helping him get through everyday life. ‘I’ll never forget you.’
Donald has had difficulty making friends and Amanda has helped him with this also as well as helping him to understand himself better.
I have encouraged as many parents as possible to come to this school, in particular because of the positive caring of the chaplain.
*Students names have been changed for privacy.
