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HAVERGAL COLLEGE
A
Supergirl is a fictional heroine with otherworldly powers
and no weaknesses native to our planet. She can fly and has
superhuman strength, speed, vision and hearing. Sometimes,
we think we know a person like this who projects to the world a
remarkable skill set that is leveraged at precisely the right time to
accomplish an extraordinary goal. Sometimes, a girl thinks she is
supposed to be a person like this. But this is a fantasy. Supergirls are
not real.
Too often, girls feel they need to keep up appearances, rather than
admit that things might not be going as well as they seem or ought
to be. Meanwhile, under the surface, they could easily be feeling lost
and alone as they grapple with the various challenges of life.
The negative side-effects of a culture of perfectionism are wide
reaching, but one of the most destructive is the erosion of self-
confidence. When students feel a need to be perfect, they avoid
taking risks and fear failure. They duck situations where they might
not get something exactly right. And so they miss out on the best
moment possible: the one when they get back on their feet, brush
themselves off and carry on. That’s precisely the moment when
resilience and confidence can be leveraged from within to push
away feelings of self-doubt and worry. It’s a
real girl
moment.
At Havergal, we take those messy, confidence-building moments
seriously. We encourage our girls to engage in experiences that test
their beliefs in themselves and push them to the reasonable and
age-appropriate limit of their capacity. From the classroom to the
studio, field or stage, they extend their reach and sometimes feel
the sting of disappointment. But when they are not happy with how
something is going, they learn to push through and change it.
When it comes to instilling confidence, we are guided by the
language of our strategic plan (
Havergal 2020: Our Vision is
Limitless
): “We will help each student find her passion and pursue
excellence. Mindful of the need for balance, we will equip each girl
with the tools she needs to respond to challenges. The school will be
a place of support, belonging and engagement.” One of those tools is
confidence, which we consider a keystone quality—something that
unites and underpins other skills and abilities. When we help our
students develop a strong belief in their abilities to succeed when
faced with challenges, obstacles and setbacks, we also help them
become resilient problem-solvers.
In our daily work, our patient and grounded faculty and staff
navigate the intersection of theory and practice. They know how
to inspire young women and are deeply committed to student
growth. Our teachers, coaches, counsellors, Chaplains, social
worker, school nurses, Guidance Counsellors and members of the
Senior Leadership Team understand what it means to be a health-
promoting school—and confidence is part of the story. So they
embrace the themes, shared approaches and evidence-based best
practices that translate vision into action.
Real Girls,
not
Supergirls
By Leslie Anne Dexter, Head of Junior School, and Michael Simmonds, Vice Principal School Life, Operations & Student Wellness
Michael Simmonds and Leslie Anne Dexter.
Student Experience