It is extraordinary how every day we learn some important points even when we do not plan to do so, and even when the events are not desirable. If we have suffered the sad misfortune of a break-in at our house, we may realise, perhaps for the first time, what we consider to be most important in our lives. Often it may not be the most valuable item, but the most sentimental (more meaningful) item that is missed the most, even though the memory or the significance of the item is entirely lost on the person removing the item.
Let us apply it to ourselves in another way: If we discover our house is on fire, what do we seek to save the most?
Would we run back in for our expensive art collection rather than our dog? (For some of us it might be a different answer if it was a cat as opposed to a dog, but that is another matter!) What would we want more, our degree certificate or our wedding photo? Our expensive suit or photo albums?
Now that we are in the groove with such questioning, let us reflect on education: Which would we want our schools to provide most for our children — life skills or qualifications? Yes, we know we want both, but if it did come down to one or the other, which would it be? We might well be inclined to say we want qualifications more than life skills — that is all that matters, after all, is it not? Is that not what school is about? Some might argue also that life skills should be taught by the parents, anyway, not by the school — parents gave them life so they should teach them basic life skills, not least as no qualification is needed to teach them. However, many parents feel the school must do it.
Let us put the question slightly differently now. Rather than ask which is more important between life skills and qualifications, let us ask which do parents want more for their child between mental wellness or qualifications? It would be extremely unlikely that parents would consider that their child gaining qualifications is more important than maintaining their good health — after all, what good are qualifications if we are not well enough to use or take advantage of them? Yet here is the key point: Life skills lessons are intended to prevent children suffering from any mental ill-health. If we want mental well-being more than qualifications, then we must want life skills more than qualifications. We do not need As at A Level to work that out.
The sad thing as well is that parents do put an enormous amount of emphasis on results and qualifications, so that children know they have to study hard for those subjects in those lessons. However, to many people (children and parents alike), life skills is not an examinable subject (at least not on paper, though certainly in daily life) so the thinking is that children do not need to apply themselves at all for subjects that are not examined. Children see such lessons as a freebie, a chance to mess around, to play little attention. They do not see the subject as important as they take their lead from their parents — “no exam, no importance”, they conclude.
It is time, therefore, that parents ceased presenting such a view to their children, not least as the constant pressure for the child to meet the parents’ (often totally inappropriate) expectations very often causes the very mental ill-health for the child that they do not want. In that regard perhaps it is not the children who need the Life Skills lessons but the parents! In truth, the way around such dilemma (no qualifications being received for life skills) is to teach life skills through all the academic subjects and sporting sessions; academic subjects and sport are not divorced from life and all learning is geared towards life. Massive lessons are learned through individual subjects and sports.
The difference between saving our expensive art collection rather than our dog is the same as wanting qualifications over life skills. Life is far more important and valuable than any inanimate object. To have life we need to have life skills. To gain life skills we need to show true respect for them and remove all emphasis on qualifications.
- Life skills or kills
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There is no qualification that is needed to teach life skills (allegedly, but debatable) but there is certainly no qualification given for those who receive the life skills. However, the children receive something far more valuable — life itself. Is that not what we want? Watch out — a fire is burning.
