I start by turning the above title into a question: Are we getting the balance right, and if so, what sort of balance do we have in mind? In answering this question I am going to focus on the balance between our students' academic achievement and their sound psychological development, or what for some time now we have been referring to as 'holistic development'.

Schools and curricula aim at giving students what policy-makers think is right for today's youth. A lot of academic energy goes into this work, and rightly so. The top-down approach might offer ideas and strategies to educators, but is it always in touch with the classroom reality and our students' needs in the 'real' world?

During one of my visits to a school, I was discussing effective communication and its relationship to conflict resolution with a class of 15-year-old female students. At the session's end one student expressed her apprehension, saying that although she was learning a lot of things at school it was not always what she really needed to get along every day when she went 'out there.' Other students might share her view.

Self-esteem

I believe that today's schools and curricula should focus more on the development of mature, independent, and confident thinkers who are trained to co-operate with, and contribute to the kind of society they live in. I know some schools where this is being done.

Students enjoying a high level of self-esteem are more likely to be responsible and accountable citizens who achieve their goals in life. Kindergartens and early primary schools play an important role in developing self-esteem since this starts in children as young as two years of age. However, kindergarten focus on formal schooling could damage self-esteem because very young children can only learn through play.

If inferiority feelings develop in early childhood, these could turn into inferiority complex later in life and might even lead to learned helplessness. Conversely, early childhood inferiority feelings could also be the stepping-stones to learning instead of the stumbling blocks to personal development. While nurturing plays a very important role here, the child's perceptions of him/herself, others and the environment are even more important.

Feeling good inside, building a positive self-image, believing in oneself and enhancing resilience is the road to success. Over-zealous adults who press their children to read and write at a very early age, without first helping them to develop intra-personal skills, may end up damaging their children's self-esteem which in turn puts them off school.

Those caring for very young children carry on their shoulders a heavy responsibility for the children's skills development and attitude orientation. An eminent psychologist once wrote that "all I need to know to live I learnt in kindergarten."

Our very young children deserve the best-trained carers, and a lot is being done in this area, which is a good investment for the future. But is the balance right in all our early childhood classes, and what would improve it? Further effective training and regular monitoring/evaluations are just the beginning.

Late childhood and youth

Dr Rudolph Dreikurs said that we should stop teaching subjects and start teaching students. When it comes to passing on knowledge and updates I believe that the Internet, wherever it is available, is meeting this need. All students need to master ICT skills and learn how to learn.

However, we need to keep in mind that the computer deprives the user of direct human contact and interaction. Totally computer-based learning might foster personal isolation, and present a different reality to the concept that we are social beings and flourish better when we work in groups.

When our students leave schools they have to face what Alfred Adler called the major tasks of life in the 'real' world as opposed to the 'virtual' world. This includes facing workplace challenges, forging social relationships, entering intimate relationships and developing spirituality. These tasks entail adopting a different set of skills from those required in the shelter, order, and dependency found in schools and computer rooms.

Being able to co-operate and manage conflicts at the place of work require the training and acquisition of intra-personal and interpersonal skills. Having emotional intelligence gives one the ability to turn negative emotions into positive energy. After all, we are masters, not victims of our emotions, and how we feel is ultimately up to us. Helping students work on and develop these intra-personal and inter-personal skills would be an asset when it comes to resolving intimate and social conflicts.

Educators' training

This is a tall order for educators' training. It also means developing a different perspective of the educator's role in the life of a student. I see an imbalance being created when this training still gives more emphasis to the traditional subject certification approach than the students' psychological development. A system that still points out failures instead of strengths might create deficient human development when it comes to self-esteem and self-confidence. Believing in one's self is crucial to motivation and the vision that drives one forward.

Educators need to become more aware of the child's thinking and feelings to be able to redirect faulty conclusions. Skills that help the educator understand behaviour and redirect negative thinking are essential tools we cannot do without. The educator's essential role is that of influencing faulty thinking, rather than focusing on behaviour and trying to change it with punishments or conditional rewards. Only intrinsic change in thoughts can result in a real change in behaviour. This again requires particular training.

Holistic development

A human being's sound psychological development rests on three important cornerstones. A student needs to think and feel that s/he is accepted, respected and significant in a group. Such a student feels encouraged and ready to collaborate with, and contribute towards the group's goals. It follows that when these positive thoughts and feelings are absent, the reverse is possible. Teachers' empowerment based on these lines enable educators to better understand their students and offer them effective guidance.

Human relationships based on understanding and co-operation is the peaceful way forward for the world that is becoming one global village due to today's technology. It has been said that societies get what they deserve. Perhaps the other side of the coin is that societies grow not only in families but also in schools; and very often they reap what they sow.

Parenting skills

Another point I believe is relevant to all this is the schools' support and parental education. By this I mean offering mothers and fathers programmes in parenting skills that are in line with the teachers' training aimed at understanding the child.

Parenting is perhaps the most difficult job in the world, so doesn't undertaking such a commitment deserve professional training? Shouldn't new parents of under five-year-olds be more encouraged, and be given more possibilities to attend effective parenting programmes? Having a sound foundation is much better than having to unlearn and build again.

School changes

What changes might help schools to move more towards each student's holistic development?

Having a system that points out and builds on their unique strengths; having a wider assessment system that caters for both academic achievements and social skills, and using varying teaching methods to cater for students' different learning styles.

One may argue that such policies are already down on paper in various official documents. Can we therefore assume that they are also being applied?

Competition

I believe that competition in education defeats its aims. Competition brings out the best in products but the worst in people. If one truly believes that each student has a unique rate of development, one realises that such competition is illogical.

Why do our students still need to face national tough competition that determines their future when they can hardly understand all this?

We talk about the pressure on ten-year-olds. Is talk enough?

Why is it that a higher percentage of students move on to higher education in many other European countries even though they don't have all this pressure?

Learning as a gift

Students need to be more encouraged to see learning as a gift they owe to themselves. Parents should provide a caring environment, support and encourage this attitude while educators should facilitate this learning. Students should be more involved in decisions and school policy formation, especially in matters that concern them. Age-appropriate participation should be encouraged and respected. This is the age when children should be both seen and heard. School councils can be effective in this area.

Another relevant point is moving more towards deeper instead of superficial learning. Aiming at long-term formation is the pedagogy for the future.

Childhood formation

All this has to start at the early stages of formal schooling. The importance of the early primary formative years cannot be over-stressed. Early childhood formation helps the individual to answer the questions: who I am, what others are, and what the world is. Very often we carry our childhood with us all our lives.

Some of these suggestions may already be common in some schools or can be easily implemented. Others need lon-term planning and implementation.

I have experienced the positive and long-lasting effects of an enhanced teacher-student relationship based on mutual respect and encouragement. As Pestolazzi wrote more than 200 years ago, 'Learning is not worth a penny if courage and joy are lost on the way.'

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