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Why not hunger for happiness?
By Mike Stevenson, Thinktastic
Must the evolution from child to adult take us from optimism to cynicism? I don't believe so. That's why I would love to put motivation at the heart of education - for teachers and pupils?
Think on it. The current economic climate threatens to cast a shadow over the very people on whose shoulders Scotland's future wellbeing rests. To retain a confident smile around children during today's uncertainties is a big ask. But, more than ever, young people need to feel what matters in life is good and future prospects can be rosy. The Scottish tendency to prepare for the worst isn't conducive to nurturing confidence - it simply reinforces low expectation.
Don't we all want to see the optimism and 'can do' of small children prevail - no matter how the world looks from an adult perspective? The gloom that descends on adolescence is not just hormonal it is the result of a slow erosion of self-belief inflicted by parents, media and peers. Teachers should stand like giants above this. Put-downs etch deep in our memory. So do words of genuine praise and recognition.
My schooling ended at 15 when I was dismissed as a failure. That was 1965. It still rankles. I have since learned to identify in others the gem of possibility that exists in everyone. In your school you have entrepreneurs, writers, musicians, explorers, inventors - they may show it in unconventional ways. Look deep and you'll see.
Learning is driven by a hunger for knowledge and skills. That hunger comes from a confidence that what we learn will make life more rewarding. Young people need to feel confident in their own skin and believe they can make a positive imprint in the world. They need a sense of what's possible - separating 'what is' from 'what has to be'. We need them to think creatively about the future. Lift them to greater self-belief and you lift yourself. The New Economics Foundation lists the UK at 74 in the World's happiness index - hardly a vindication of our culture. Feeling good extends our capacity to learn and do. It opens up our ideas and it improves performance. Cynicism runs deep in our culture, but it's a luxury we can't afford.
I have had many sleepless nights in the past two years, but I know my anxiety affects my staff and customers. They want me to be confident, strident and assuring. Recessions are uncomfortable, but we must separate what is inevitable from what is the result of self-realisation. Teachers can be giants to pupils. Step into that power and you will feel the wind beneath your sails.