Lessons in being happy proposed

Lessons in being happy proposed

news.bbc.co.uk

Primary school pupils in England should be taught how to lead happy and healthy lives as part of a curriculum overhaul, says a government-commissioned report.

It says that pupils should have the "personal, social and emotional qualities essential to their health, well-being and life as a responsible citizen in the 21st Century".

(visit the link for the full news article)

Sounds great on paper, but for some reason, the spectre of Ingsoc and party indoctrination seems to be looming in the back of my mind.

There's something about meddling with kid's thoughts like this is less about objective learning and more about teaching them to be as you want them to be.

I'm sure many of history's great accomplishments were by people deemed to be outside of the norm.

"Do not interrupt my circles!"

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

I'm not sure I understand your argument.

Do you think that the lessons in how to lead a happy life may be centered around specific ideals not always conducive to common beliefs?

For instance, the idea that one should comply with law to be happy, even if said law restricts personal freedom?

In that case I can definitely see your point.

Personally, I'm an advocate of more home learning, resulting in more original thinking and diverse development of personality.

If you have state-controlled education as we do currently in the UK (the National Curriculum) you increasingly end up with nothing more than a factory making robots who all learn the same (to a degree).
Their knowledge is limited to what the state teaches, and therefore it limits the diversity of thought civilization needs in order to develop new ideas.

But on the face of the statement, and without knowing the propositions in detail, I would support their idea.
Kids need to be taught the very basics; an appreciation of learning that will last beyond 16 (in the case of the UK), how to grow things, how to interact with others, how social structures are formed and operate, how respecting others leads to gaining respect and so on.

I have friends in Australia, and they began educating their son from very early on.
Dad began getting him involved in the environment as soon as he could crawl, planting things and working the garden etc. Mum focused on language and maths.
Their son is now three and I met him for the first time last year. He's remarkable. Intelligent, peaceful, happy, curious about everything and so incredibly clever.

Of all the parents I know, they are the most remarkable couple. They're both unusual people, the kinds of people "regular" people look at and immediately judge (piercings, tattoos, bright pink hair...).

I am certain that the way they have educated their son is the way most parents should; fearlessly, environmentally, socially, respectfully and lovingly.

And as long as these new government ideas support those principles in the UK, then more power to them.

I think what you're saying is there is concern that young children will be primed as to "what" should make them happy by what society dictates a happy person is or does. I agree. no one should ever be told what should make them happy.

Overall however, I think it's awesome for young children to taught skills in cognitive recognition of happiness.

Each person will derive happiness from different things. It's being able to recognize those things that many people have issues with. Some seem so insignificant in scale. Society sends conflicting messages to youth.

It's not enough to get c's.
It's not enough to just get by and have a little extra.
It's not enough to have three good pairs of shoes.
Not enough to have one of the latest gizmos...gotta have em all.
Not enough to be average.
Not enough to be loved by a few good people. Gotta be loved by all. (MySpace and facebook creepiness you know)

I raised a kid. Thought I'd taught her good values. She never wanted for excess and always seemed pleased with what she had.

That was until she hit high school. Peers...comparisons...undermined much of what she had learned.

At 20 she has no idea what makes her happy...though she used to.

There are so many influences besides parents that kids have to contend with. Even though we as parents think we're teaching our kids to be thankful, gracious and charitable, it seems it's not as important when "everyone" they know has more, and better, and smarter, prettier, luckier...

I know the values she learned are there somewhere, I see them from time to time. it's just sad that she can't remember what it's like to be content and happy.

When I was a kid...I was a thankless little badger. My parents went all out as often as possible well beyond their means. I learned much later in life to be happy and what it actually meant.

I think it's a very subjective and deep topic for instruction to a class full of very different personalities and emotional maturity. Some will get it many won't.

Wonder if they will be following a model of cognitive psychology in the instruction?

All those young minds to be shaped and moulded for the good of the state.

As this is another government idea I'm afraid I see nothing more than a state sponsored goal of churning out unthinking, unquestioning little drones, loyal to the state that created them.

When I was a kid, a few decades ago, we didn't need, or have, government controlled programmes to tell us how to behave or feel, that was the job of our parents and the society in which we grew up. Towards the end of my school years there was a marked change in teaching content and staff, allowing and encouraging the children to "express themselves", which often meant bad behaviour going unpunished. New books introduced into the curriculum containing bad language which the teachers read out and which we were expected to read out in class as well. In fact, the whole atmosphere in teaching seemed to change. I think this was the beginning of a whole new direction in social engineering of an entire generation, many of whom, now parents, show a lack of responsibility and in many cases seem ill equipped for parenthood, meaning the state and "entertainment" business has become the main source of children's life shaping experiences.

Thankfully I was brought up to question everything and never to take things at face value, especially coming from government.

In short then, I see all these schemes as simply social engineering studies by government paid academic advisors which can be (and perhaps already are) detrimental to society. Perhaps that is all planned though?