- I am a teacher who has taught in Australia, England and Switzerland.
- These educational systems were drastically different, but most of them prioritized academics.
- Instead, students should learn these skills: critical thinking, creativity, and self-awareness.
When I left Australia to continue teaching overseas, I was told that my beliefs about education would be tested. Ten years later, after teaching in several places, I couldn’t agree more.
When I was in the Australian system, the lessons on health and relationships were excellent and science and literacy were excellently paired. However, the curriculum poorly represented Indigenous Australian peoples and their history.
Then I realized that the British educational curriculum was incredibly comprehensive. The grammar, math and history lessons are in-depth and, for the most part, quite interesting. However, the curriculum is so packed that it sets unrealistic expectations for both staff and students. I found it too stressful.
In stark contrast, after moving to Switzerland, I taught at a Swedish international school. The Swedish system focuses only on “academic” skills such as reading and writing after the age of 7. It took me a while to adjust, but I soon realized that there is a very good reason for this approach: It frees up time for young children to really learn about themselves and the world in which they live.
After all, it is not academic knowledge that is most beneficial to our children; this can be learned at any time of life. But it is essential to learn soft skills at a young age.
From all my teaching experiences, I believe these three life skills are the most important.
Critical thinking
Our children live in a world of wildly influential social media, frenetic news coverage and AI-generated content. Children need to be taught how to navigate opinionated information, asking who is creating the content and what purpose it serves.
Encouraging critical thinking also means giving our children the space and tools to respectfully listen to, discuss and defend their individual opinions – and, most importantly, to be open to changing their views based on new evidence.
I’ve had many philosophical discussions with people, only to get up off the mat and remember that my interlocutors were 4 years old. Children are deep thinkers and we can choose to undo their beliefs or encourage them to develop a stronger understanding of themselves and others.
CONSCIOUSNESS
Understanding what is going on in our bodies and brains has a huge impact on how we treat ourselves and the people around us.
Children need to be taught to listen to their body signals (such as tight muscles when they feel stressed) and emotional signals (such as feeling nervous when they are tired).
When they are able to identify what is happening, they can make informed choices about what they need – such as taking a slow breath, resting or seeking support.
That said, not all stress is bad. We tell kids that learning is fun, and it often is, but it’s also challenging because our brains are creating new cognitive pathways. Helping children develop a growth mindset is vital. When people have a growth mindset, they realize what they can’t do yet, they will be able to do with time and persistence. They are also better equipped to solve the problems that come their way.
Creativity
When we think of creativity, we often automatically think of the arts, but this skill includes all kinds of problem solving—from choosing the right math equation to resolving a conflict with a friend.
Creativity is nurtured through space and time to think, test ideas, learn from the results, and then choose next steps. It is open and often self-directed. It is no coincidence that these are also the skills involved in entrepreneurial projects – from starting a successful business to solving problems in the community.
The soft skills, such as creativity, that we teach our children will continue to influence them throughout their lives.
After 10 years of teaching, I saw that I could make a different impact on children’s learning, so I switched to children’s illustration.
Now, I use my background as an educator to make accessible art with meaningful messages, helping children process their emotions, connect with others, and act with kindness. By immersing our children in relevant messages and targeted teaching, we can help them acquire the skills and understandings that will enable them to thrive in any context.
Rita Jane taught elementary schools for 10 years. She is now a children’s illustrator based in Paphos, Cyprus. CONNECT LinkedInand find her illustrations at Instagram.