As a new academic year dawns, Ella Tarrant, Assistant Head (Wellbeing) and Head of Lower School and Early Years at Hunter Hall reflects on the power of school to nurture big dreams from an early age.
Listening to children converse in my classroom, I often hear, ‘When I grow up, I want to be …’ This is usually followed by astronaut, princess, inventor… you get the idea – the sky is the limit. At an early age, children have what often seem like fantastical ideas for their future, full of hope, aspiration and pure joy. Yet as they move through school, children’s ideas change, becoming more sensible. I often wonder why this happens and whether schools play a role in changing children’s aspirations, making them more ‘realistic’. This is often done with the best of intentions, with schools and parents alike wanting to gently shield children from failure and disappointment. But schools should be helping children to hold on to those dreams and make them a reality, no matter how fantastical they seem.
It was reading Phil Knight’s memoir, ‘Shoe Dog’, in which he reminisces about contemplating his future when fresh out of college, that I began to think differently about schools and the potential they have to help children hold on to, and realise, their dreams. Knight knew that he had certain aspirations – money, a house, wife, kids – that had been ingrained in him by his upbringing, but he also knew he wanted more. He saw life as a game and he decided, whilst on a morning run, that he did not simply want to be on the sidelines (where it is safe), he wanted to play, to actively engage. Knight had this crazy idea, which he had always dismissed, but in that moment, he realised that the world as we know it, past and present, is made up of crazy ideas. He recognised it would be hard, painful and risky, but, like any keen runner, he knew he was in control of the destination; that it’s about knowing yourself, having a goal and not deviating from that goal. You can change how you get there, but just don’t stop. And so Knight took that crazy idea and ran with it. He became the co-founder of Nike.
So, what role do schools play in this? Schools should create a learning environment that enables children to explore who they are whilst opening their eyes and their minds to new ideas and instilling the passion and determination to get to their own finishing line. By establishing a culture that nurtures individuality and self-belief, children will have the confidence to identify their own crazy idea for the game of life, and the drive to make those dreams a reality.
Only this week, I overheard two of my Reception children talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up. One said that she just wanted to always be on holiday. Rather than gently closing that door, schools should look for ways to throw the door wide open. There are, after all, people who make their living by going on holiday and writing about their travels or making films about their adventures. Schools should show children how one door leads to another, helping them find their way through what is often a maze of corridors to the goal they want to reach.
In his mid-twenties, Phil Knight determined ‘to find some prodigious, improbable dream that seemed worthy, that seemed fun, that seemed a good fit, and chase it with an athlete’s single-minded dedication and purpose.’ Schools should be places where children are encouraged to dream improbable dreams; dreams that are joyful, outlandish and world changing. The history of the humanity is the history of crazy ideas, and the world is infinitely richer and more interesting as a result.