What’s Love Got to Do With It?
When we love something, it doesn’t matter how hard it is. We keep going.
Anyone else out there hearing echoes of anxiety about what has been lost for kids and their education?
Anyone else hearing the dominance of the narrative that discipline and hard work is what’s required now?
Anyone else hearing that it’s time to knuckle down and get through the curriculum in record time?
Because, well, the kids’ futures … etc, etc.
We too easily think that this is an approach that has neutral effects. No, correct that. We too easily assume that the absence of this approach has negative effects, and on one level it’s true. The absence of hard work to make up time often leads to a drop in assessment results. Given that’s the easiest thing to quantify in schools, it’s easy to think that’s all that’s worth worrying about.
But …
I was listening to an interview with Dion Nash, a former New Zealand cricketer, and the question was put to him, ‘Why you?’ The interviewer was interested in how he became so successful as a cricketer. Now, typically, we expect a response along the lines of
- I worked really hard
- I was determined
- I took every opportunity I got
- I was disciplined
- I had to sacrifice lots of other things
- I did everything it took.
You know, all the rhetoric you hear from sports academies about what it takes. All the rhetoric we’re hearing about education right now.
But he didn’t focus on any of those things. Instead, he said
- There were heaps of kids way more talented than me
- I just loved the game, so when things got hard it didn’t matter
- Because I loved it, I just kept playing
- Success is a marathon
- The dream drove me on, and this only comes from within.
This isn’t just a sport thing. All parents want their kids to be successful. But I bet the narrative kids hear most is the first one: If you want to be successful you have to work hard, be determined to meet your goals, take every opportunity, etc.
It’s the narrative that’s being amplified now.
It’s kind of true, but those things without love don’t really add up to much, do they. And I think this is really important right now. School is out for many, spluttering along for others. There is stress in the air about success and kids being prepared enough for what’s next. It’s easy to forget about love in such circumstances. I think Dion Nash would argue we shouldn’t.
And you know what, I agree.
This isn’t the same as saying hard work and discipline are silly, or pointless. But it’s worth thinking about where these come from.
A student I know wrote this recently about learning:
“Self motivation leads to self discipline, rather than discipline from being conformed to be obedient”.
What she meant was that the willingness to work hard, to push yourself, to make sacrifices and be disciplined comes from something within. And this is love, isn’t it?
When we love something, it doesn’t matter how hard it is. We keep going.
Love drives us on.
Love is what sustains effort over time.
If, as Dion Nash says, success is a marathon, and an inner drive is what keeps us in the running, are we not better off aiming for our students to find what they love, rather than getting into a panic over achievement and what’s been lost while school has been out?
