Operation Pull Your Own Weight as a Philosophy of Education
By Rick Osbourne

Strong VS Weak

We believe it’s the nature of all kids to want to be strong at everything and weak at nothing. In other words, you’ll meet plenty of kids these days who are proud of “being bad.” But you won’t meet any who are proud of “being weak” at anything.

We believe that given the right conditions, almost all kids can become a little stronger mentally, spiritually, and physically every day, every week, every month, and every year. And if those strength gains are documented and celebrated publicly, in front of family and friends, these students will soon learn to expect success instead of failure.

Returns on Their Investments

They’ll also learn that there’s a payoff, a return on their investment of time and effort, and that with persistence they can tackle difficult tasks one bite at a time, and expect to succeed in almost anything. You see most kids never learn this lesson and inevitably fall far short of fulfilling their true potential.

Opportunity VS Obligation

We believe that anything presented as an opportunity (you get to do it) will become more highly valued than anything presented as an obligation or a job (you have to do it), and in this light real education (growing stronger at everything) becomes highly valued and this motivates kids to want to participate. On the other hand when something is mandated and students are obligated to participate, it undermines any genuine motivation, and encourages failure to become a self fulfilled prophecy.

Systematically Undermining Motivation and Self Confidence

Finally we believe that kids come to school at various levels of maturity and development, and to require them to compete against each other at a young age is a sure fire way to de-motivate the highest percentage of them who, for all kinds of silly reasons, are variously labeled average, below average, or much worse, by a system that’s effectively designed to undermine the kids it claims to support.

Along with bursting their young motivational bubbles, the system simultaneously strips kids of the self confidence necessary to tackle new challenges and to grow stronger in all kinds of ways. In other words, when motivation and self confidence are systematically undermined, students stop trying. And when they stop trying, failure automatically becomes the self fulfilled prophecy mentioned above.

The Price of Being Cool

Then again when their failure is inevitably paraded in front of family and friends, these kids are prepared with the ready made excuse, “I didn’t try.” You see when you try hard in public, you risk being humiliated…the opposite of being cool. That’s a price many kids are unwilling to pay.

The Natural Antidote

The antidote to this dilemma is to simply compare Johnny in week one to Johnny in week two, Johnny in month one to Johnny in month two, Johnny in year one to Johnny in year two. In the process make sure that Johnny and his friends are aware of the progress he’s made, which in turn strengthens his self confidence, lights his motivational flame, and transforms self fulfilled failure into self fulfilled success.

Fulfilling Our Own Potential

At this school it is our challenge and our privilege, as professional educators, to create the conditions in which all our kids will grow stronger at everything, more confident in themselves, and more capable of taking personal responsibility for their own actions, decisions, and their own lives. To the degree we succeed, we will fulfill our own personal potentials. Carpe diem.

Rick Osbourne is a Chicago based writer who currently serves as Executive Director of Operation Pull Your Own Weight, an informational web site that's dedicated to naturally immunizing kids against obesity for a lifetime without pills, shots, or special diets.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Osbourne