“Education is the most important weapon you can use to change the world”- Nelson Mandela.
Most people will agree that positive changes are needed to make the world a better place. It is easy to forget that just by our thoughts, actions and values, we affect the people we come into contact with. Just by being mindful in our actions and thoughts we can have an impact. Treating others with respect, tolerance and kindness has a ripple effect that spreads across businesses, communities and nations.
Where better place to start than with the hidden school curriculum? In schools, the formal curriculum consists of the information that has to be taught in different subjects, whilst the hidden curriculum consists of the norms, values and beliefs that a society wishes to inculcate in its young. It contains the unwritten rules and social cues that we want our children to pick up. These can be both positive and negative. Sadly not all classrooms foster the positive changes we would like to see in the world. Many educators (teachers) are unaware of the impact they have on their classes and of their ability to foster positive behaviour patterns in young people.
For example if an educator is consistently late, ill-prepared for lessons, or untidy in appearance then he/she teaches learners that they should not consider themselves worth bothering about. If educators do not practice gender equality and show respect for racial and religious diversity then how can we expect our children to grow up doing these things? Female learners may be treated in ways that create or reinforce inferior self-images. Negative attitudes and ways of behaving are perpetuated as children become young adults and take their place in society.
I understand that teaching in many government schools can be a daunting task due to large classes and lack of equipment and funds. Be inspired by the knowledge that you do make a difference and that it is your choice as to whether that difference has a positive or negative effect!