Kindness - let's get it back on the curriculum.

Kindness...one of those many virtues that we hope to instil in our children. It is also one of the virtues that we tend not to associate with contemporary education, and certainly one that we are willing to overlook at the expense of academic success, career growth, or just simply getting a step ahead in the daily rat-race. All too often education in schools is set as a competition; ranks, grades, pass, fail, right, wrong...almost as if education is something you can ‘win’ at.

"I don't want to study with the others and talk about my answers because then there is a chance that they can beat me".

But...education is not something we can win at. There will always be someone - in our past, present or future - whose academic prowess will surpass our own. And, when we understand this...truly understand this, and when we acknowledge that education - and life itself for that matter - is part of what Simon Sinek has coined ‘the infinite game’, only then are we able to take in, and appreciate, how things really are.

You see, we are conditioned by social media, and mass marketing to view life (and all of its constituent components) as a competition; doing so keeps us alert and primed for the opportune moment to attack - and in some cases (which somehow never make it to our Instagram posts) to retreat. The desire to be the best, strongest and fastest, appeals to a primordial survival instinct which, in turn, triggers adrenaline and the corresponding fight or flight response...and so we fight - for money, love, status, and let’s face it...the all important high school grades!

Yet why? All of the knowledge known to human-kind at any one moment can be found on the Internet at the touch of a button. True, the skill to apply such knowledge is a highly desirable future ready skill. Sadly, we tend to lose sight of the big picture. We forget that at the end of the day, the customer is always a person, the patient is always a person, the victim of a crime is always a person, and we cannot - no matter how hard we try - stop being human. When we recognise this simple truism and hold it up for a closer look, it is clear to see that we need, expect, and ultimately value, far, far, more than just a polished academic skill set. We, as people, respond better to a kind and friendly shop attendant, we appreciate the kind, gentle tone of the doctor when delivering the news we never want to hear, we value the kindness and generosity of others when we are victims of an unprovoked injustice, and we search for kindness in the person with whom we wish to spend the rest of our lives.

So where does this leave us? Well, in the years ahead, scores of students inevitably pass through our classrooms, many of whom will boast straight A grades. We like to think that we will remember all of them so fondly, but the truth is, that it is only a matter of time before every single one is trumped by a stronger, more able student that is inevitably sitting in a classroom down the hall. What we will remember, and what will ultimately be recognised by society is the humility, selflessness, truthfulness, loyalty and kindness that we as educators witness students crafting and refining each and every day. If we are honest with ourselves, we all have students that we regularly hold up as examples - as role models to younger students - and, let’s face it, while such students are often quite bright, we value them not for their academic attainment, but more for who they are, what they stand for, and the positive impact they have on those around them.

So, if we as educators are to be entrusted with the sculpting of the next generation of doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs, while we may not find kindness in our textbooks, I think it is safe to say that we should be teaching it in our schools.

by Phil Hart

(M.Sc Educational Leadership, M.Sc Economics, BA Education, BA Arts)