Educating the Heart.

Given the global challenges we face today, it is becoming increasingly clear that we must prepare our children for a future that we cannot fully imagine. We must provide an education that not only offers students a rich academic experience but a caring one as well. This has so much to do with the environment and ethos that is created within a school. We are at a point where academic skills are not enough and we must support our youth towards developing a broader and deeper understanding of their bodies, their minds, and their hearts.

The World Health Organization has predicted that by 2030, depression will be a global epidemic and that symptoms (and prescriptions) are already being reported for youth as young as 8 years old. This should serve as a warning for how we move forward in developing our school communities, communities that can be built on educating the heart. When we “educate the heart”, at the core is the development of relationships. It is about being given the opportunity to deepen understanding of ourselves and others and to build relationships that are more responsive, compassionate and wise, and less reactive. How are we to promote peace in the world if we can’t even get along with those around us?

With educating the heart, teachers and parents also put forth the effort within themselves to be of greatest benefit and service to their students and children and to the wider school community. So much of this comes full circle to relationships. Every relationship on a school campus has the potential to build trust, warmth and confidence. A warm, caring relationship between teachers and students highlights much of what Matthieu Ricard shares in his most recent TED talk, “How To Let Altruism Be Your Guide”. In it, he outlines three key areas for us to focus upon in our communities: enhancing cooperation, developing sustainable harmony and a caring economy. These areas can be applied to a variety of settings but in a school, they have the potential to be truly transformative.

Much of this comes down to choice as is beautifully illustrated by a Cherokee tale: “The Story of Two Wolves” ~ An old grandfather is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside of me," he said to the boy, "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is destructive - it is anger, jealousy, greed, judgment, and ego." He continued, "The other is constructive - it is joy, humility, discernment, kindness, and compassion. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The grandfather simply replied, "The one you feed."

With International Day of Happiness coming up on 20 March, let’s all aim to create communities of genuine happiness and compassionate action by first and foremost starting with ourselves and being mindful of which “wolf” we feed.

Written by Krysten Fort-Catanese, Director of Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness at Phuket International Academy

krysten.fort-catanese@pia.ac.th

http://www.phuketinternationalacademy.com/