A typical day as a school Chaplain

September 16, 2023
A picture one of the students drew of my me recently.

Today I thought I would share what a “typical” day looks like as a school Chaplain. I work part time in two government schools, so I do not run religious services but am there to provide pastoral care, mental health and well being support. I mainly work with students but I am also there for teachers and parents.

1. I arrive at school and chat with the admin staff and teachers and see how school has been the last few days. As I work part time at two schools I am only in a school a maximum two days a week. They might let me know of students who have been struggling a bit.

2. I help run a breakfast club. This is where we prepare food for the students who want to come along. We have fruit, cereals, bacon, eggs, pancakes and all are welcome. Some do not have much food at home, some have long bus rides and some come for the social aspect. Brekkie club helps me to connect with the students and see who is not looking themselves and I can catch up with later in the day.

3. Once brekkie club is over and cleaned up I head in to the classrooms. My Principal wants me to spend time in each classroom over my two days at one school. So I head to the first class on the list and talk to the teacher and see which students need my help. Sometimes I just sit and assist with their work and other times I might go for a walk with them to talk about school or life in general.

4. At lunch time and morning recess I am out in the playground. As I love sport I am usually kicking a footy, playing soccer or playing some other sport. This really helps me to connect with the students and have fun with them. Often a student will ask we we can go for a walk and talk as a result or they might ask if I can come and sit with them in class after the break. I usually have my breaks straight after the students when they go back to class.

5. Often I might be called to the office or a classroom if a student is having a bad day. This takes priority over the class schedule I am given. I usually sit with the student and talk or we might go for a walk. Usually after about 15-20 minutes most students are ready to return to class and re-engage with their work.

6. At the end of the day I see the kids off at the buses. I just hang with them and talk until the buses arrive. I try to be really positive and encouraging and remind them of some of the good things they did during the day. There are a lot of high fives and fist bumps involved. I then might talk with some teachers and see how they are going and then head off home.

The only time my day differs is if we have a combined school sports day or some other combined event. But this is pretty much a “typical” day for me. Most of my time is spent with students, but I also spend time with teachers and parents too.

Being a school Chaplain is a great job. It is one where you go home each day knowing you have made a real positive difference in peoples lives.

God Bless,

Dave

Have lots of reasons to exercise

September 1, 2023

Many people exercise in spring time to lose their winter weight they gained. Some see exercise as a form of torture that must be done to get back in shape.

While others might exercise to lose the weight they have gained over a long period of time and once they are at a good level they stop and go back to normal.

One of the key things I believe that has helped me exercise consistently for nearly 50 years is I attached many reasons as to why I exercise regularly.

Some are very positive and healthy, while others may seem vain to some, but they still keep me motivated when my body or mind don’t want to hit the gym or go for a ride.

Here are a few of my reasons…

  • to keep fit and healthy
  • to keep my body fat levels low
  • to strengthen my legs after having Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • to be a good steward of the body God has given me
  • to stay in shape so I look good to my wife
  • to be a good example for my wife and kids and to inspire them
  • to run around and play sport with the school kids without passing out!
  • to look good when I look in the mirror (that is perhaps a vain one!)
  • to give me a burst of endorphins which are natures natural happy drugs!
  • to give me a sense or structure and discipline to my life
  • to keep me active so I will be fitter and healthier in my latter years
  • to have a sense of personal achievement

These are just some of the reasons why I exercise regularly. I believe that if you have more reasons to exercise than just lose weight, you will be more likely to keep it up.

I hope that helps if you have started a fitness program in 2023!

God Bless,

Dave

Enjoy about writing

August 21, 2023

What do you enjoy most about writing?

I really enjoy writing a lot. There are a number of things about it that I both enjoy and things that help me.

1. Writing helps me to get my thoughts down, which helps order my thoughts and feel mentally fresher.

2. Writing helps me to learn and grow when I research something when I have to write a sermon or a blog post.

3. Writing helps me to encourage others. And when people tell me something I wrote encouraged them, it encourages me too!

I have been writing sermons, blog posts and articles since the late 1990s. It is something that has really helped me a lot and it is something I really enjoy.

Love where I live

August 20, 2023

What do you love about where you live?

One of the main things I love about where I live is the wide open spaces and the places I can go and walk. The above picture is one of the trails I walk that takes me up the rock overlooking our town.

It takes about 15 minutes to walk up and then I can just sit and look at the view. One direction looks over town, another way looks over farmland and another looks over a forrest.

Once up on the rock I can sit and breath in the fresh air, I can have space to chill out and order my thoughts or I can just pray about what is on my heart. It is a great place to have.

Space and time to order my thoughts is very important to me. This is why I love walking up the rock. It is definitely one of the things I love about where I live.