After speaking to the children at assembly for several weeks
about bravery, I was delighted to
have a return match from a class who shared their own stories of bravery with
us all, and were clearly pleased with their courage and success. Much overdue,
I thought this was worth considering in a little more detail.
Being brave is something which was, in all likelihood, introduced
to us as toddlers as a negative concept. We were expected to be brave about
things that seemed frightening, painful or unknown, like spiders, grazes or vaccinations,
and the fearful feelings that being brave gave us will have been difficult to
shake ever since. It is therefore human nature to protect ourselves from
activities that go beyond our confidence, comfort or enjoyment. It is trained
into us from very young that being brave should always to be considered in the
light of possible harmful outcome, pain or failure.
However, we also know that our own success is likely to be
limited if we don’t shake ourselves from our comfort zone, embrace things we
are not certain about and make ourselves have a go. Very few people have the
ability to take risks comfortably. Some do however, and I must say, it is with
great admiration that I watch people undertaking extreme sports, pressurised
challenges or developing inventive or even crazy ideas. For most of us, bravery
means having a go at something small, measured and slightly unfamiliar. We live
in a world of due diligence, calculated risk and critical evaluation. It is no
wonder that our children would expect to be provided with solid answers and
proven paths rather than have to think for themselves, or be challenged to
create new knowledge, and that we, in our own insecurity, urge them to follow our paths and not their own.
In fact, giving praise only for producing correct and accurate work
has become so endemic in our education process that we have effectively side-lined
real creative thinking and getting things right by getting them wrong. We no longer prize working concepts through, or having mad ideas. We have eschewed inspiration,
wild imagining and unlikely connections made in lightning flashes, for more
prosaic standard ‘correct’ answers, with the onus on the teacher to cover and
inculcate every possibility rather than allowing the child to explore. I fear
for children who cannot see past the need to be taught the right answer, who
choose not to be brave in their learning, who are afraid to have a go or to face
the possibility of short term failure up as one of the options for what might
happen – and cope with that. I worry that we, as teachers and parents, reinforce
these fears (perhaps because of our own training), despite the fact that we probably
know that real independence, valuable learning and true entrepreneurship comes
from being brave, striking out independently and doing something, or even thinking something, that might be
seen as different. Bravery allows that leap of faith into the unknown, into the
world of potential success and into that essential place where we can, as human
learners, really come to know ourselves and our strengths and see what needs to be
overcome. Only by being brave and by experiencing the consequences with courage, can
we develop into whole and incredible people.
I’m not speaking here of foolhardiness, of wanton danger,
or of misplaced confidence, I’m simply talking about opening the mind to something
new, rather than closing it due to inexperience, or by placing too much store on outward success by only attempting what can easily be achieved. In terms of learning behaviour it is sadly all too common to see children hang back, to say they are not sure when asked a question, or to be coy when expected to express an opinion, rather than having the courage to have a go. often a teacher knows full well that a child has the ability and intellect to do more, and it is a real sadness when that child is waiting for one of her peers to answer instead.
So for the future, it is worth considering doing something
that requires brave learning behaviour. Make or find some opportunities
to do something which you wouldn’t usually do, or accept a learning challenge that
feels a little bit mad. You could embark on this experience with your child, or
just quietly on your own. I spoke to a mum this week who is attempting her
first marathon, to a teacher who has agreed to prepare and lead the staff prayers although
she has never done such a thing before, to members of staff who have signed up
to the staff choir to learn to sing together for a public performance with no previous music reading ability, and to a child about to go to her first ski school with a great fear of heights. In the classroom I listened to six year olds trying to reply to their teacher in Spanish amid much hilarity and some fabulous accents - real bravery in action, especially from a new girl who had only attended one lesson and wanted to take her turn. I was shamed from my position as wallflower and had a go - and although my accent was not as good as the children's, they applauded me, and I was delighted that I had left my anxiety on the side to show my nerve. What these people have in common isn’t just
wilful bravery; it is the anticipation of great enjoyment, satisfaction and
confidence in themselves, and a fantastic learning experience.
Good luck to you all in your next courageous learning step –
remember that failure is a helpful learning option, that it will be a challenge, that success is often better if it is surprising - and who knows, you might even enjoy yourself!
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