Hi 5: 6 February 2015 by Ms Chu See Min Charmaine

Good morning Mdm Tan, Mr Lee, Mr Tan, colleagues and students.

This week has been a short week for most of us where we had just 2 days of school and the rest of the week was the GESS Life Camp for the Sec 1s and e-learning for the rest of the levels.

For the Sec 1s, these few days probably had many ups and downs where you had the Camp Fire and activities that bonded you together as a class and also some frustrating moments when there were clashes of ideas.

In fact, every day, we are faced with situations where we have to decide our responses to these situations. In order to prevent misunderstandings, it takes self-discipline. Every action we take begins with a thought, and we can train ourselves so that the actions we take will be positive ones.

So I am going to share with you the acronym STEAL, S-T-E-A-L on how we can observe the rules of self-discipline.

1. S – Speech
a. Before we decide to speak, we need to think about the tone of our voice and the words that we use.
b. When we speak politely and with respect, the other party will be more willing to listen.
c. When we use words positive words, others will also be more receptive to what you have to say.

2. T – Thought
a. Our thoughts are based on our beliefs and the decisions that follow show the rationality of thought and our emotions show our character.
b. Before we decide to take an action, we need to consider our intentions behind it.
c. For instance, if our belief is to have more time for leisure during a school week, then the action that follows may be completing the e-learning assignments earlier to have more rest.

3. E – Effect on others and self
a. Our reactions to others show factors of empathy and social understanding.
b. Before we take an action, we need to consider how our speech, thoughts or actions will affect others and ourselves.
c. For instance, coaching our classmates in their studies not only helps them to understand the topics better but it also helps us to revise the topics that are taught in class.

4. A – Action
a. Our actions are driven by how we think, feel and interact with others.
b. It is through our actions that our true character emerges.
c. How we interact with others is a test of our character.
d. Do we help others without expecting anything back in return?

5. L – Look
a. Our appearance in school is also a way to show whether we are self-discipline in ensuring that our school uniform is worn properly.

Mother Teresa once said “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love”.

As the week comes to an end, we may not be able to exercise STEAL all at one go, but we can choose one of the letters in the acronym and do something small with great love.

Thank you and have an awesome weekend ahead!