Creating Depression-Proof Kids: The Hope of Positive Education

In the book, Atomic Habits, by James Clear, he points out that habits that are 1% better (or 1% worse) may seem insignificant but have a compounding effect over time. So we can employ that knowledge into our classrooms and school routines. When I was in the classroom, I started our daily routine with mindfulness and an exercise in compassion. It took 15 minutes from our academics but it grounded our learning community and developed a culture around self-awareness. As a PYP coordinator, I begin every meeting also with a brief meditation and often bring in practices that encourage deeper and more meaningful work and relationships at our school.  Although it would be nice to have a “well-being centre” on our campus and do more large scale practices, starting small in whatever ways you can, is always the best approach.

That being said, as a Primary Years Programme (PYP) school, it is also possible to design units and make larger school efforts around well-being. In order to promote a more vibrant and connected school culture, we can look for ways to embed the principles that unite our Learning Profile with the strengths-based approach found in Positive Education. So how might we do this? Well, let’s filter this question through PERMA:

Positive Emotion

In my mind, developing units of inquiry that explore emotions head-on and cultivate awareness is one of the effective to develop the skills that can generate positive emotion.

The rise in teaching Growth Mindset has certainly helped to reframe failure in our learning situations, however, I wonder if the “power of yet” is enough. Considering this, I think to move into other areas in which we teach other coping skills, along with gratitude, is of great importance.

Central Idea example: (*Who We Are) Humans grow and change over time

*I would recommend this theme so that we can bring in mindset and emotion. So often we think of growth and change as a physical aspect of who we are, but we mature mentally and emotionally as well. Wouldn’t this be fun to teach into? I think so.

Central Idea example: (How We Express Ourselves) We can recognize and appreciate beauty. 

Teaching the skill of “awe” is something that we rarely do in the mainstream classroom–we leave that to “the Arts”. But why not help kids to zone on to the good in life and learn how to convert an annoyance into the realization of its blessing? I think a unit like this could not only hone into qualities of aesthetics but provide opportunities to become more mindful and grateful to the everyday wonder in our world.

Central Idea example: Our actions impact relationships.

This central idea could fit into multiple transdisciplinary themes, depending on the grade level, and what we want to spotlight, so I would likely put it under Who We Are or How We Express Ourselves, and even in How We Organize Ourselves for Early Years learners.

Most of the time, a unit like this is heavily focused on doing and not being. However, I could see a unit like this to be a perfect opportunity to develop the skill of forgiveness and compassion. When we teach mercy and perspective, it creates “heart muscles” which lead to reduced anxiety and anger. Furthermore, when we add in the spirit of generosity and altruism, the volume of positive emotion is amplified.

Central Idea example: (How the World Works) Curiosity leads to discoveries. 

Honestly, this could be placed into other transdisciplinary themes as well, but I think it would be fun to break with tradition to just thinking of How the World Works as just “the science unit” and expanding that definition to include social-emotional learning. The skill of curiosity is most highly correlated to life satisfaction, happiness, health, longevity, and positive social relationships (Park et al., 2014; Buschor et al., 2013), so I think teaching it as such, would have a ripple effect in multiple subject areas.

Engagement and Flow

Although directly teaching this as a topic is possible, I believe that it would be better to simply create the conditions that promote this aspect of well-being. I find the increasing popularity of project-based learning to be one of those conditions. Also, adding more student agency into our classrooms further encourages and supports student engagement in their learning. Looking for ways to add these kinds of elements into learning would be the best way to approach this area, in my opinion.

Relationships

In the factory model of education, dehumanization was commonplace, with forced submission and punishments. Now we talk about school culture as a transformative agent, with the importance of valuing the learning community. But has our school discipline policies changed much?

Not only in Positive Education schools but other more traditional schools are taking an alternative approach to student “offenses” and incorporating “restorative practices” that are based on the premise that when a child who acts out in some way, they have to face the people that they have harmed in order to develop self-responsibility and empathy. The techniques used are modeled after restorative justice models, in which the child discusses the incident with their peers in a way that feels welcoming and provides the motivation for compassionate action. Here is an example of this practice in action.

Although we may not have some “true believers” in this approach (even though it has remarkable results) and schools may be hesitant to adopt this model, we can still bring the “circle” into our classrooms. We can co-design essential agreements for talking circles with students, and use it to discuss and diffuse situations.

Moreover, I think it’s vital that we teach students “how to be” with one another and manage conflict in situations. So with that in mind, I think teaching the skills of collaboration is a vital aspect of well-being. We often group kids together and ask them to do work without really helping them to understand what it takes to truly cooperate and share responsibility for learning. Lest we forget, when collaboration goes well, it has a high emotional quotient and makes for a more dynamic learning environment. Collaboration is a skill worth teaching.

Consider this quote:

You know the saying, ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’? Well, it gets even better. Happiness shared is happiness squared. When we share our joy with those we love, we feel even more joy. And when we love, we become more loveable.

From: Relate, Wellbeing Theory

With this in mind, instead of saying “Gosh, these kids just don’t know how to get along!”, ask “How might I teach these kids to get along”? That is a more empowering question that can be shared with others, including our students. This is the very basis of developing long-lasting and significant relationships in our children’s lives.

Meaning and Purpose

I already suggested project-based learning but if we want to elevate projects, then we need to take it a step further with challenge-based learning. This approach involves moving beyond the 4 walls and looking for opportunities to solve issues in the larger community.

Let’s take for example a likely project that one might see in a Kindergarten classroom, in which kids must create a puppet show (either digitally or in-person) that tells a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Instead of it ending at the classroom or school level, kids design these presentations for populations of people who suffer from depression, like the elderly or people suffering from chronic illness. They present their puppet shows at a nursing home or go to the children’s cancer ward at a local hospital so their learning goes beyond “the standards”. If the challenge is to cheer up people who are going through a tough time, then this project suddenly takes on a new meaning and turns an ordinary learning event into an extraordinary experience.

I also find challenge-based learning a wonderful chance to bring in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in order to teach into the difficulties we face collectively, whether it’s local or global. When we expand our context for learning into the real world, then we create purpose and value in our lives. Instilling the confidence that they can make a difference in the hearts and minds of our young people is much more than academic achievement, it’s a true accomplishment that will leave an indelible mark. We should also inspire that level of action.

Achievement and Accomplishment

Speaking of achievement and accomplishment, although I would hardly call this era of standardized testing the hallmark of “achievement and accomplishment”, I think it’s been our first foray into trying to define student achievement. Under harsh scrutiny, many educators are now in the rebellion of creating “standard” students and questioning whether this cultivates mediocrity in our schools. I think challenging this testing culture and asking if this is really what matters in education is exactly why we should pivot towards Happiness-based education/Positive Education.

I know in many schools, teachers give a general comment that speaks to the character of a child. Although I find this “report card” designed by the Knowledge Is Power Program (or KIPP schools) an interesting artifact that seems to capture more than the “what” of education with subject grades and defines the “who” we want our students to become. It intentionally focuses on developing key character traits, and, although I don’t know how I feel about scoring these areas (for example, what REALLY is the difference between a 4.17 and a 4.33?),  I do see the value and impact it can have on student personal growth.

However, in our PYP schools “grading” the Learner Profile is something that would be taboo, but I don’t see why students couldn’t have a reflective tool likes this to assess themselves on a more consistent and continual basis. Furthermore, it could lead to goal setting and other activities that could help cultivate the type of students we wish to create as a result of the learning in our schools. I don’t think we should shy away from these sorts of things, but instead lean into them and co-design with our students. In this way, they understand the true meaning of “achievement and accomplishment”.

A final thought

As I consider the urgency to address the social-emotional issues that plague our world today, I know that our schools can be the best testing ground for this sort of work. It is my hope that we stop looking at trying to make kids the best in content knowledge and skills as the measuring stick of “performance” and start considering how we can teach strategies and mindsets that empower students to be successful in life, now and for the future.

I don’t know if we can necessarily eradicate depression, but I do think we can elevate community and joy in our world through education. In my mind, layering well-being into our curriculum is an easy tweak that everyone can do starting today. Positive education shouldn’t be for the few, but for the many. I hope you will consider what steps you can take today to create a future world that works for everyone.