We are all in this together! How often have we heard such a sentiment or statement in recent weeks? We must all stick together; we must all work together. We must all look after one another. At the very time that we have been forced into isolation, into social distancing, we have realised that we cannot live in isolation. We actually need social developing, not social distancing, more than anything else.
One of the most important lessons we have learned in these past weeks is that we have been forced to realise that we must all take responsibility for ourselves. It has been up to each of us to ensure that we wash our hands, that we cough or sneeze into our elbow or tissue, that we isolate ourselves appropriately, that we clean surfaces thoroughly. Thus this is one huge lesson that our child needs to learn at school: he must learn to take responsibility for himself. That means he must be made aware he is responsible for his own work – teachers and parents are not responsible for that. If the child does not work he must take responsibility for that and face the consequences.
He must also learn to take responsibility for his mistakes, errors and failings. When he does not do as well as he (or others) hoped, expected or intended he must accept responsibility and not try to blame others (the person who set the paper, the teacher for not giving him the answer, the school for not getting him his pass, the parents for not helping him, the friends for leading him astray, the weather for being too hot to study, the … enough said! There are always dozens of others upon whom he could shift the blame instead of accepting responsibility himself). He must not hide from the truth or soften its blow. Equally he must learn to take responsibility by being humble enough to accept criticism or correction.
And why exactly should he learn this? He needs to learn to take responsibility because his actions (or his lack of action) and behaviour can seriously affect and impact many other people, not just himself. If he really, really wants to, sure, go ahead and mess around as it is his life but when his actions affect others negatively then he must face the consequences of that. He does not live alone and his actions and behaviour do affect others. He must acknowledge, understand and accept that harsh reality and take greater responsibility for his own actions. He is responsible and indeed accountable.
Youngsters need also to learn the crucial lesson that they are responsible not just for their own actions and behaviour but also for the actions and behaviour of all others. If they see one of their friends (even one of their enemies) doing something that is wrong or harmful, they have a responsibility to tell them and to stop them not just because it will affect the person badly but also because it could well affect them as well. We would very quickly try to stop a friend from hurtling towards a cliff so we should equally do all we can to prevent them from heading for serious trouble. We are responsible for them.
Schools provide the perfect platform for children to learn to take responsibility as responsibility is meaningless in isolation; responsibility implies there are others and others will only be found in large enough numbers at school. Children can learn responsibility at home (like charity, it certainly should begin at home) but for it to be effective it needs to be learned at school as well. We have a responsibility for ourselves; we have a responsibility for others; we have a responsibility for the school and for society as a whole. Schools provide ample and ideal opportunities for children to learn this most important lesson, which must be learned if this world is going to thrive.
Of course, schools will say we teach responsibility a great deal and cite how they appoint deserving youngsters into positions of responsibility as leaders. However, that is delusional as it is only giving responsibility to a few and making everyone think that it is only the chosen few who have to be responsible. We need to emphasise that everyone has been given a position of responsibility, and must be responsible for themselves and for all others within the community. We must all take such responsibility. We often speak of Corporate and Social Responsibility, and rightly so – it is corporate, involving the whole body, and it is social, encompassing individuals. Ultimately, it is a responsibility and that is something we must take seriously and collectively. We must teach this at school. We all have a responsibility to others. We are all in positions of responsibility. Congratulations!
