Blog
Shaping the Future
As students we are well-used to the concept of learning; we attend school (and, later, college and perhaps university) and are familiar with the feelings of not-knowing, limited understanding and uncertainty - even though they aren't always the most comfortable of sensations.
If we believe that, as adults, we know all the answers once our time in education is over, we introduce an inherent weakness. Our technological, scientific and societal developments continue ever more swiftly and, if nothing else a fixed mindset that convinces us that 'we've finished' is going to render us adults left behind.
This is also a weakness in the rhetoric causing much anxiety to our young people currently: the notion that they have irretrievably fallen behind as a cohort, and that it will be nearly impossible for them to succeed against our existing structures. I feel that, to make such assertions, is to do our young people an immense disservice!
In my experience, our students are dynamic, driven to be successful and determined to seek out their goals. They greet us with phrases such as "what can I do to..." and "how do I overcome..." - there isn't anyone refusing to learn ever again!
There is, however, a fear of how adaptable the adult world will prove to be. The adult world that cites 'lost generations' and years of deficit, and implies that the way we've lived our own young lives is the only way. That the systems in place are the only viable ones.
Thinking logically, it's highly unlikely that we've been traversing the only pathway to success! It's very improbable that a new trail cannot be blazed. Indeed, the new route might even become a better one, paved with memorable lessons and punctuated by knock-out viewpoints. Nobody wants to re-live the lockdowns, naturally, but they may just have given us a new lens through which to view the world.
I received an email this week from a student who asked me if they could share their relatively unique perspective on school life with our school community. That email, of course, took courage because I could have replied that I wasn't interested (or, worse, not replied at all). However it represents a great opportunity for everyone.
In accepting that we cannot possibly know everything, and adopting a growth mindset, there is plenty more understanding, compassion, empathy and knowledge to be learned every single day, just through this one example. Extrapolate further, and the sheer scale of possibility is infinite.
This is World Autism Awareness week, and I know it is going to be an opportunity to learn. On Sunday, I watched a programme about Passover with my son, because I was unable to answer the questions he asked me, having watched Newsround the day before...
Being in the business of education, the brain fascinates me; I read recently that it takes a significant amount of energy to learn something new - especially if it's complex, and doesn't fit easily into the map of knowledge that the brain has already assimilated. However, there is a fantastic energy that emanates from each new piece of learning. The 'buzz,' if you like, of the penny dropping, and the pride that comes with having persevered. That's the immense power of learning, and no pandemic is strong enough to shake that.
And, finally, if you are celebrating Passover, may it be peaceful, happy and healthy at this unusual time.
