Our Route to Educational Success
At the opening of a school sports event in 1881, a Dominican priest named Henri Didon said “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, meaning “Faster, Taller, Stronger”. These words resonated so much with students and guests that the Olympic Games adopted them as their official motto. When I said that words don’t just start and end with sports; basically the words also capture moral, spiritual, and educational elements… simple words with such depth.
The philosophy behind the biggest sporting event in the world probably started at a simple school event. Notice that “winning” is not mentioned, the most important thing is to do your best, to improve, and to always strive for perfection. In essence, this is what every school should strive for. All too often these days we see educators reluctant to push back, with pressures from government bodies, parents, and the media driving educators toward a policy of disengagement.
Schools play a key role in shaping and developing the leaders of tomorrow, but how effective will these leaders be if they just pass? We live in a world that is diverse and whose borders are collapsing into what can be described as a global village. The workforce is highly mobile and some of them are very hungry for success. We risk creating a generation of marginalized young people unable to secure jobs if we don’t bring out the best in each and every one of our students today.
Our Route to Educational Success
It is important to note that here in Malaysia, quite often we see ‘success’ as being in a book, behind a computer, or in a classroom, although this is a one-dimensional approach that can limit the possibilities. With the wealth of jobs available, success can be found outside the classroom as much as inside. The sport and passion for the outdoors have seen the rise of many great athletes, environmentalists, event organizers, photojournalists, physiotherapists, and teachers to name a few.
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Many of these examples lead back to the classroom and require many years of formal education, but it can be argued that it is the activity outside the classroom that motivates and maintains focus. While there are always isolated examples of extreme success, an ideally healthy combination of both increases the chances of success. Many universities and colleges now look to activities outside the classroom to select the best candidates.
Our Route to Educational Success
It is undeniable that hard work is needed, in the Michael Phelps biography titled “No Limits, The Will to Succeed” there is a quote: “There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with faith, with trust and confidence in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.” Educators appreciate that “there will be mistakes” but
The media, government authorities and parents are becoming less forgiving. The important thing is to learn from the mistake and focus less on apportioning blame. The blame game is at its core a deconstructive endeavor when we should be focusing on building and supporting.
Sure, there should always be accountability and people who take responsibility for mistakes, but the focus tends to stop there. To truly embody “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, students, educators, parents, government bodies and the media must work together positively to make hard work pay off. There are no shortcuts.
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Our Route to Educational Success
