In the 13th century, an unknown monk named Peter wrote some words, which could easily have appeared in todays newspapers: The world is going through troubled times. Todays young people only think of themselves. Theyve got no respect for parents or old people. Theyve got no time for rules or regulations. To hear them talk, youd think they knew everything. And what we think of as wise, they just see as foolish.Not much seems to have changed in the past 1,000 years when it comes to the challenges of raising and nurturing children! Interestingly, several recent surveys suggest that employers are not particularly interested in the skills and knowledge that examination qualifications certify. Most employers are more interested in candidates employability quotient rather than academic qualifications — that they are punctual, diligent, presentable and hardworking and have the ability to work well with other people. This highlights a basic need in education today — to create a balance between a students personal development and academic success. Few parents would disagree with this. The greater challenge is for schools to find ways of maintaining this balance. The ancient philosopher Aristotle once noted: We are what we repeatedly do. Whatever we practice most is what we will become. If we are in the habit of becoming angry and frustrated when things dont go our way, or reacting to circumstances with impati-ence and despair, generating excessive anxiety in the face of adversity, then unfortunat-ely, our lives will become a reflection of these types of negative responses. We will become desperate and impatient because these are the responses we have been practicing. Repeated practice is also one of the most basic principles of most spiritual faiths. Ancient wisdom has carved this principle out as the foundation of character development and personal growth. Habit is like a cable: we weave a strand of it everyday and soon it cannot be broken. One of the most important responsibilities of a school is to create an environment in which certain habits are cultivated and certain practices encouraged. Values are unquestionably ‘caught rather than ‘taught. One of the most critical decisions that parents make on behalf of their children is the choice of school. For it is in school that children learn to practice certain things rather than others. These arent things learnt in the classroom — they are the more subtle attitudes and values that are learnt from example and absorbed in the ethos of a living and breathing community. Few parental choices made for their children will have an impact that is so formative. We are what we repeatedly do, said Aristotle, but he went on to add: Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. In my experience, the cultivation of good habits is a defining feature of an excellent school. These are schools which recognise the awesome formative impact a strong community can have on a young persons life. The tacit lessons of strong, learning communities are more powerful than words, more significant…
