At the beginning of the new semester, everything takes on a fresh and renewed atmosphere. On the early morning of February 17th, all teachers and students gathered in the school gym to welcome the first flag-raising ceremony of the Year of the Snake.
As the solemn national anthem played, the five-star red flag rose slowly in the morning breeze. All teachers and students stood in respectful silence, their gazes firm, jointly welcoming the arrival of the new semester. This moment was not only filled with anticipation for the new semester but also with hope for the future.
Co-Principal Ms. Angel.Lin delivered a speech under the theme of caring with grade 10 Bonnie Hu as the translator.
Dear Teachers and Fellow Students,
Good morning everyone! Welcome back. For our first flag-raising ceremony in the Year of the Snake, we are here to discuss a very meaningful concept: Caring.
Caring is one of the IB learner profiles and also one of the 4C thinking cultivation goals in philosophy for children. In P4C, we categorize critical thinking and creative thinking as the abilities of thinking, while caring thinking and collaborative thinking are considered the attitudes of thinking. A good thinker must have both positive thinking attitudes and thinking abilities—both are indispensable.
So, what is caring？It seems to happen all the time, yet it’s difficult to provide a comprehensive definition. I attempt to define “caring” using SPEC, a method used in P4C to clarify concepts.
Caring is an emotion, a feeling of concern, attention, and care for others or things.
Caring is a behavior and a life attitude. It includes emotional support, thoughtfulness, and selfless dedication, aiming to make people feel valued and cared for.
Caring is also a relationship. In P4C classes, we’ve discussed whether we should help people with disabilities. Some students have raised the point that the care we give might not be what they want. This shows that care is a relationship, involving the process of giving and receiving care.
How do we establish such a relationship？Genuine curiosity, attentive listening, and active response are the core essences of caring.
Genuine curiosity is the first step in caring. We might ask, “How are you? What are you thinking about? Is there anything I can help you with?” Through such questions, we express our attention to the person.
When I truly care about someone, I will attentively listen, observe, and feel them, willing to receive all the information they convey. Just like in our P4C classes, when a student asked, “Can emotions be seen?”, another responded, “Maybe not with the eyes, but with the heart, I can ‘feel’ them.”
So the thought process directed at others must be as serious and positive as thinking about our own issues. One must be attracted to the needs of others and respond to the hope of the one seeking care.
What are the characteristics of the mental state of the person being cared for? Acceptance, acknowledgment, and feedback seem to be the most important. The person being cared for accepts the care of others and then shows that they have accepted it. This confirmation is then recognized by the person who initiated the care. In this way, a caring relationship is completed.
I don’t want to list all the various caring behaviors we exhibit in school and life because they are just too many. Caring is a life state within a relationship, not a specific set of behaviors. A smile, a hug, a listening ear, a sharing, doing household chores, volunteering – caring is found in every detail of daily life, as well as providing substantive help and mental comfort when others are in difficulty.
Of course, the object of care is not only others. Self-care is equally important. In all relationships, the most crucial life state is caring for your own physical and mental health.
First, practice self-care. Make sure you can meet your own physical and emotional needs. Set aside some time each day to recharge, such as reading a good book, meditating, going out for exercise, or simply relaxing to bring your body and mind back to their best state.
Second, build a support network. Your friends, family, teachers, and professional counselors can offer support and encouragement. Sharing your confusions, setbacks, or even breakdowns with others will alleviate your stress and enable you to help others in turn.
Lastly, reflect and adjust. Consider keeping a journal to record your acts of caring and their impacts. Look inward to find a path to inner clarity midst the chaos.
As a P4C facilitator, I still have many curiosities about caring. For example the word “caring” in English can be translated as concern, care, or solicitude. Besides caring for oneself and others, what else do we care for? Do we care for animals? Do we care for objects, such as old furniture or toys? Do we care for knowledge？
Caring for knowledge and objects is different from caring for people and other living beings. Strictly speaking, one cannot establish a relationship with mathematics, music, or cooking utensils. These things don’t have feelings or emotional experiences as we do. However, might a student who plays music says he has developed an emotional connection with guitar? Would a student who studies problems be “captured” by a certain research topic and unable to let go？Does Dr Max’s love for poetry， Mr Meng’s love for calligraphy mean that poetry or calligraphy reciprocates his care? If we truly invest care, will even inanimate objects give us a reaction and establish a relationship with us？
I invite you to join me in this exploration of caring.
Just like the grandma in the picture book “Last Stop on Market Street” story reading released by Nuannuan Night Reading this week, who always finds beauty in life and listens to the world’s unspoken invitations to care.
Thank you all, and let’s look forward to a wonderful year of full of growth. May we all grow into the people we love to be, capable of caring for others and being lovely and loving individuals.
In this hopeful new semester, let us begin by caring for ourselves and others, using sincerity and action to build a campus filled with warmth and compassion. Whether it is towards the people around us or seemingly inanimate objects, as long as we feel and give with our hearts, the power of caring will take root and grow within us.
May every teacher and student not only gain knowledge and growth this semester but also become someone capable of caring for others and deserving of being cared for in return. Let us move forward together, using care to write the most beautiful chapter of this semester. We look forward to becoming the best versions of ourselves on the path of growth.