HAPPY SCHOOLCHILD TRUMPS EVERYTHING

Sir,
 
Is your child happy at school? That is quite possibly the most important question for you to consider. As a deputy head with over a decade in senior management at two schools, and 30 years in the classroom, I believe that a happy girl or boy is what parents and educators should focus on first. A happy child will be more likely to take advantage of the academic programme. A happy child will get involved in the co-curricular arm of the school. A happy child will get stuck into the outreach and cultural arenas and a happy child will wake up in the morning, wanting to go to school, where all the academic and social learning can happen. And while it is important to have sound academic systems in place; and while it is important to offer a wider curriculum that taps into the interests and cares of the pupils, these components of a school are a bridge too far for an unhappy child.

There is no recipe for guaranteed happiness. We know that. But to extend this metaphor somewhat, there are certain ingredients that one needs to mix in, that will often yield an environment that encourages happy staff and children. First, one needs a head who cares for the emotional well-being of her or his staff and who leads by example in all aspects of her or his life. Then one needs teachers who care about young people; teachers who look to encourage, who invest time and who care deeply about the young people they choose to spend their working lives with.

Kindness

From the adults flows a culture of kindness and gentleness that permeates the school community. It always starts at the top, and it ends with a wide and broad community culture of kindness. The origins of the Tugela River are at the top of a very distinctive mountain range called the Drakensberg and from a specific point called Mont-Aux-Sources. Much like a school head, this mountain is easy to spot. The river cascades down the cliff face, weaves its way through, just short of 600 kilometres of the beautiful KwaZulu-Natal interior and flows out into the Indian Ocean. At all times, that river is connected and influenced by its source; that point at the top of the majestic amphitheatre where it exists in the form of a small trickle. I know where that is, and I have made a cup of tea at that source. I have seen the start of that river and I have seen where it ends too, as a powerful aquatic venting of our South-East coastline.

If you are looking for a good school, go to the amphitheatre. Climb up to that source and meet the head and ask her or him the specific question that is embedded in this short article. “How do you invest and sow into your school so that at the end of the day, you create a climate of kindness, gentleness and decency within?” It’s a good question and it is one that a good head will know exactly how to answer, because she or he will already be that healthy source of quenching ‘water’. The world we live in is not easy. To make it, one needs to be loved and to be treated in an affirming manner. A good school is one that fosters an environment of happiness as its core. One can then overlay the skin of academics, sport, cultural activities and outreach programmes over the happy, confident, affirmed and loved child.  

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