We must transform the gloomy countenance of our common life to one with a sunnier disposition.

Vaclav Havel's words came to mind when I was reading an article about educational life in America . In response to a number of school shootings in recent years, some schools have supplemented their fire drills with ‘bullet drills' in which children duck and cover on command. The writer of the article asked: Will this save a single life? Probably not. Will it teach some six-year-olds that the world is a dark and terrible place where gnawing dread is a logical frame of mind? Probably.

The writer went on to describe a catalogue for parents which is devoted to creating the perfectly safe home. It seems you can now buy a venetian blind cord shortener so that your child will not inadvertently hang himself, plastic safety film to put over broken windows - particularly useful in hurricanes, it seems, and ‘Lid Loc' which presumably saves your child from drowning herself in the toilet.

The catalogue also offers you the ‘Tub Rug', an in-the-bath mat upon which the words “TOO HOT” appear if the water reaches a certain temperature… I feel almost embarrassed to admit that I used to use that old 19 th century technique to test the water – I put my elbow in and if it seemed too hot I said to myself, “This is too hot” and added a bit of cold… My daughter, who has a new baby, responded to that little ‘blast from the past' with absolute disdain!

In another effort to protect children, a police department in Alabama has distributed a colouring book for children warning them that they cannot tell whether a stranger is a threat to them or not, just by the way they look. Nice, kindly looking people, suggests the text, may well be very dangerous. The drawing the children are to colour-in is of four neighbourly looking people, one of whom is a well-dressed elderly woman.

I think we would all agree, and statistics undoubtedly verify, a young child's chances of being abducted by a well-dressed elderly woman are about the same as those of being snatched by a low-flying eagle! Indeed, if you leave aside custody disputes and other such family feuds, the chances of your child ever being abducted are extremely low.

Not that we should ignore the basic safety rules and precautions that common sense and experience would suggest to us are important for our children's safety. The overwhelming majority of parents and schools have always taken that duty seriously and responsibly.

But the issue is tending to become one of the dilemmas of modern life, particularly for Christian parents. How do we behave responsibly, with due regard for our children's safety, while at the same time encouraging in them a love of life, a trust in the goodness of the God who gave and sustains it, and a sense of positiveness, confidence and hope for the future?

Even though the media focus might be a problem for us, it is enormously important that we encourage that attitude in our children. God has created a world that is full of examples of goodness and beauty; and despite their flaws and failings, people too, give demonstration time and again of love and care and encouragement. Our children need to know that people are worth trusting, that life is worth living and that most of all, even when things are bleak and lonely and sad, they can rely on God's promise, as recorded in Deuteronomy:

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you… Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

The Year in Review
Please click here to read the rest of the Principal's Report, reflecting on memorable events and achievements at DCC throughout 2007.