The core elements of a good school management philosophy are love, care, and happiness. When people are happy, they are more motivated and perform better. No one is excluded.
Good mental health among students, teachers, staff, and parents is essential to a student’s positive growth. Innumerable studies have been done on what is considered the optimum psychological state of a student conducive to knowledge retention. Studies have shown time and again that, at the very least, a student needs an environment that is free from stress and distractions. Additional studies have shown that students learn best when they are happy and feel loved and cared about. The first studies of this kind, however, were not done in classrooms; they were done in the workplace. In these studies, it was found that employees perform better when they are happy. These studies were originally carried out inadvertently by companies like Hewlett-Packard, as they were some of the first employers to invest in their employee’s mental health and happiness. Unfortunately, it took academia a few decades to catch up, as classrooms have continued to be run like assembly-line factories instead of engaging, enlightening education incubators.
A great example of what can be considered a ‘happiness school’ is in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The school is the Timbuktu Academy of Science and Technology. At this school, the teachers, administration, and families engage in ‘brain education’. Essentially, this means they consider what happens in the brain during the educational process. What they have found is that a culture of ‘happiness’ in the school has had a tremendous positive impact on their students. Because of their successes, workplace studies, and my own experiences in curriculum and assessment development and management, I am convinced that a school culture that encourages faculty, staff, students, and parents to engage in happiness is conducive to the best possible educational results.
Therefore, a school management philosophy should include basic tenets such as:
- smiles and positive attitudes at all times
- encouraging, praising and uplifting everyone
- greeting students and parents with smiles and genuine warmth
- elimination of hostilities; no yelling; no demonstration of anger
- safe, caring, loving and orderly school and classrooms
- making powerful connections with each student by getting to know them
- always approaching students in a calm, caring and respectful manner
- valuing the rights and comforts of others
- celebrating a sense of humor
- teaching strategies that promote student learning, happiness, health, self-esteem, self-confidence, and inner peace
Besides, who doesn’t want to be happy?