Trust, Approval, Responsibility: Do we underestimate kids?

It’s my third year of teaching. I’m driving a minibus load of students to a forest outside of London – for a 24hr survival challenge. A chirpy, excited boy at the back blurts out:

“Sir, are we still in England?”

To which I answer:

“Moh, we’re on the A40, we’ve barely left London yet!”

Wow that’s a silly question! How easy it is, therefore, for adults to regard some kids as unable to cope alone.

A year later, I’m living with the Wai Wai on the banks of the Rio Mapuera – slap bang in the middle of the Amazon jungle. Living off the land – sleeping in huts – they’re totally cut off from the world. Every morning the little kids run down to the river, jump in dugouts and skilfully paddle their way upstream to the fishing grounds – armed with rods, machetes, bows and arrows. Their parents? Busy cultivating the cassava plantations and looking after babies.

It blew my mind. Aged 5 these mini Wai Wai are able to follow their siblings and achieve full food independence. They looked so confident and happy – I never saw an act of attention seeking or inconvenient behaviour.

Pause. You’re probably thinking “Great, well done them. But how does that relate to a city kid who has GCSEs to pass?”

I’m reminded of the principles advocated by the great educator A.S.Neill. He states that for a child to be healthy in mind and body, we must give them trust, approval and responsibility. There is only one way we can do this; with non-interference and non-pressure. A child must be left to deal with their challenges and discover the joy of overcoming obstacles. Every time we help them, we make them feel inferior and dependent.

What’s the practical application? I led a very tedious and crappy trip once to the New forest, with a bunch of moaning teenagers practising their DofE navigation skills. We all hated it. A month later I took the same lot to an easier location in the Chilterns. I said:

“Right, we’ve been over the safety protocols – you’ve got the emergency phone. Go do your training route and I’ll see you in 8 hours or whenever you get back to camp.”

They got so lost…but they loved it. Trust, approval, responsibility. Do that a few times and they’ll be catching up with the Wai Wai kids.

Nick Marsh, director of Lagganlia Activity Centre, up in the Cairngorms, Scotland, has lovely methods. His instructors are taught to act somewhat clueless. They pretend they don’t know where they are; or where they should camp; or how to start a fire. The responsibility is passed on to students to make decisions and assume control. It takes great skill to do this effectively.

Trust, approval, responsibility. Every trip can be assessed on how well it meets those criteria. And if we stick to those principles, then seemingly impossible goals can be achieved. Students find extraordinary reserves of strength and motivation – they never even knew they had.

Don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss how we can help your students go beyond the ordinary and discover their immense capacity for success.