Why and What Makes a Happy School Life

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, all students must have missed their school life very much. For those who are no longer teenagers nor studying at schools, they might have different perspectives towards schooling. For those who love their school old days, a smile immediately spreads across their face as they highly value the experience of friendships, funny teachers and fun lessons. For those who hate schooling, they might have dropped out or caused problems in their personal development. It is assumed that when teachers and students enjoy schooling, everyone does better.

 

With reference to my past experience as the Principal of different schools, it appears that when students feel engaged and have a strong sense of belonging to that school, they will perform their best. Happier children can learn better and healthier while happier teachers can seemingly teach better. Experiences also show that when staff are happy at work, they are more productive and creative, have less time off sick, are better at their jobs... (Bethune, 2019)[1]. So, it makes complete sense to make our school a happy place for all teachers, staff and children to share their joy here. With that in mind, below are five factors that are key to building a happy school.

1. Connect – It is about the importance of building positive relationship with people. The happiest schools are the ones that make everyone feel like they belong to a community where they feel welcomed, where they are safe and where they can be themselves. 
2. Be fair – People should be treated with fairness and respect. It is also about having rules and expectations, with rewards and sanctions, that are clear, fair and not too punitive.
3. Empower - By affording them the autonomy and agency to complete their tasks as they see fit, staff and students will achieve their best and take on more responsibilities as a token of gratitude.
4. Challenge - Learning new things is a key facet of a happy life. When people are engaged and interested in work, they will do better and take up more challenging tasks.
5. Purpose - Doing work with a sense of purpose that we feel is genuinely worthwhile can be really motivating and can sustain us through difficult times.

 

Doing things that we feel is genuinely worthwhile can be really motivating and can sustain us through difficult times. The happiest schools often have a very clear sense of purpose – the teaching staff know why they turn up to work every day and the students know what they’re there to do. When the whole school community has a shared sense of purpose, even seemingly unsurmountable barriers can be overcome.

 

So, may I ask you, what is the most important thing that we should do when we get up in the morning? Yes, please go to school and enjoy a happy day there!