On the afternoon of November 8, 2023, Grades 9 and 10 students joined the interactive first-aid training and high school psychology teacher Ms. Yu provided them with a lecture entitled "Unlocking Human Potential: The Power of a Growth Mindset".

First-aid Training

In the first-aid training class, student volunteers explained the procedure of responding to emergencies and the detailed steps of first-aid. The course as a whole consisted of three modules: PPT explanation, video demonstration, and practical training.

The PPT demonstration was very intriguing and interesting, and coupled with the speaker's informative speech, the students gained insight about some real-life situations which require emergency procedures. For instance, the instructors emphasized that serious animal bite injuries should be immediately given attention to, and a hospital check is vital to check the wound and receive treatment if it is deep. Then, the speaker also clarified many misunderstandings about burns and also introduced the correct behavior for a burn wound: to check the wound first, carefully remove the clothing from the wound, then rinse the burnt area with clean and warm water, and finally apply anti-inflammatory ointment.

Immediately afterwards, the students watched a video of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), which fully demonstrated the specific professional set of steps for rescuing patients. First, the person's breathing and consciousness need to be checked; if the patient is unconscious and has no heartbeat or is not breathing, the rescuers should directly ask someone to call an ambulance and then start CPR after ensuring the patient’s trachea is free of any blockage or hindrance. The video also demonstrated how to perform CPR in detail. As the video went on, the students all watched intently and waited excitedly for the experience of conducting CPR themselves.

At the end of the video, the students began to line up to take turns practicing giving CPR. Although most of the students did not successfully perform CPR compressions due to problems with their force points or postures, they ultimately learned and successfully performed the practice after receiving guidance in the form of careful demonstrations and explanations by the instructing student volunteers.

In the end, the first-aid training proved to be an educating and interesting event. It not only brought novel experiences to the students, but also introduced first-aid knowledge to the campus, allowing students to better respond to emergencies and increase their safety awareness.

Mental Health Lecture

At the beginning of the lecture, the students were asked to participate in a paper-cutting challenge. Ms. Yu asked the students a profound question: Are human skills inherited innately or acquired through epigenetic hard work? Most students believe that art, musicality, and social skills are genetically influenced, while aspects such as sports, thinking, and presentation skills can be acquired through epigenetic hard work. Ms. Yu shared the inspirational story of the prominent NBA basketball superstar Michael Jordan. Jordan, despite having been rejected by the varsity basketball team in high school and through his diligent and determined personality, won six NBA championships, the title of Finals MVP, and achieved multiple scoring titles and regular-season MVPs in his career. Throughout the process of his basketball career, he faced numerous scenarios of defeats and rejections, but eventually achieved an unbeatable record. Ms. Yu emphasized that you should not deny yourself because of a few failures, later on introducing the theory of a "growth mindset" to the students based on the relevant knowledge of cereology.

The "growth mindset" theory was developed by Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University. People with a growth mindset are positive about rising to the standards they set, observing the effort they put on their path to success, and able to learn from criticism provided. Conversely, stereotyped thinkers tend to shrink back in the face of difficulties, believing that efforts are in vain, and turning a blind eye to negative evaluations. Ms. Yu quoted Dweck as saying that "epigenetic efforts can change inherited deficiencies, emphasizing that we should not give up pursuing goals because of differences in talent conditions".

This lecture provided important psychological enlightenment for students, helping them understand the possibility and necessity of adjusting their mental state from a scientific perspective. The school also provides students with appointment-ready mental health counselling services, which aim to maintain students' mental health and to maintain a better attitude during their high school studies.

(Written by 9(1)Victoria, 9(6) Laura, 9(6)Aeryn Pictures by 9(5) Max, Hao Sun, Jin Xu Supervised by Yanjie Yao, Mengli Wang Reviewed by Qian Zuo)