suc·cess
səkˈses/
noun
noun: success; plural noun: successes
ˈhapēnəs/
noun
noun: happiness; plural noun: happinesses
the state of being happy.
"she struggled to find happiness in her life"
synonyms:pleasure, contentment, satisfaction, cheerfulness, merriment, gaiety, joy, joyfulness, joviality, jollity, glee, delight, good spirits, lightheartedness, well-being, enjoyment;
exuberance, exhilaration, elation, ecstasy, jubilation, rapture, bliss, blissfulness, euphoria, transports of delight;
Hollywood ending
"trying to rediscover the happiness we once knew"
When prompted to reflect on their hopes and dreams for their children, most parents will site success and happiness. Both categories are wont for greater exploration, at times contradictory, and not necessarily simple to define. They are dependent upon the family values, expectations passed down through generations, and closely tied to the family's own experience with success and happiness.
Parents send their children to school with the expectation that it will prepare them for success in life, while maintaining a basic level of safety and security where happiness can occur. Parents require accountability from these schools to trust that the system is working. Schools are challenged with measuring something that is essentially immeasurable. How can a school be confident that the standardized tests are indicative of a future successful life? What elements of success do the test scores miss? We educate young people because we want to launch them into a successful, industrious, meaningful life where they contribute readily to society in a way that is aligned with their personal strengths, skills, and interests. How can a school make space for this type of learning?
Quality schools generally share three common areas of strength: active and engaged community, strong foundational organization and leadership, and a team of teachers that practice child-centered learning strategies. These three things in harmony create a school climate that is conducive to successful outcomes for all learners. High functioning schools are intentional about the values that they are imparting on their students. Contemporary research suggests that it is the character traits of people that ultimately drive them toward the creation of their own goals, autonomous living, and life satisfaction. Schools that make space for character education, based on this research, are more likely to produce individuals that self-describe as being successful and living a life of meaning.
As important as the school environment is for adopting positive life qualities, the critical influence of the home and primary caregivers cannot be emphasized enough. Families that have intentional values and share these regularly with their children are more likely to produce confident children with healthy emotional regulation and high levels of executive functioning. Parenting style also plays a significant part in how children receive the lessons and respond in turn. Some of my favorite books surrounding this research can be found on My Favorite Things page. Some of my favorite research on this subject include that done by Paul Tough, Carol Dweck, and Madeline Levine. Researcher and author Paul Tough (2012) suggests that there are seven character traits that are strong predictors of success. These include: curiosity, gratitude, zest, optimism, self-control, social intelligence and grit. Additionally, the work of Dweck (2006) supports the notion that the development of a growth mindset enables the development of both cognitive and noncognitive factors of life satisfaction and success. Madeline Levine speaks to the importance of raising children with a strong sense of family values and self-awareness. All of these qualities and expectations can be fostered at home regardless of whether the school institutes a character education program.
It is also worth considering the culture in which we are raising our children. Dan Buettner studied cultures across the world to look for commonalities in longevity and developed a list of healthy lifestyle habits from areas he coined the Blue Zones. The "power nine" as he calls them include moving naturally, having a purpose, minimizing stress, living moderately, eating a plant-based diet, celebrating life, having faith in something greater than oneself, being family-oriented, and being a part of a community.
While measuring the biological evidence of longevity is one way to consider successful living, the quality of life is measured in other ways: life evaluation and emotional well-being. Every year, the Gallup World Poll uses three indexes based physical safety, life evaluation, and emotional well-being to rate how "happy" various parts of the world are. By analyzing the data, researchers surmise that there are three areas that seem to support "happiness:" pleasure, passion, and purpose. Helping young people identify their road map to the 3Ps might be the best way we can ensure their future happiness and success.
səkˈses/
noun
noun: success; plural noun: successes
- the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
"the president had some success in restoring confidence"
synonyms:favorable outcome, successfulness, successful result, triumph;
Hollywood ending
"the success of the scheme"
antonyms:failure- the attainment of popularity or profit.
"the success of his play"
synonyms:prosperity, affluence, wealth, riches, opulence
"the trappings of success"
antonyms:poverty - a person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains prosperity.
"I must make a success of my business"
synonyms:triumph, bestseller, blockbuster, sellout; More
antonyms:failure, flop, nobody - archaic
the outcome of an undertaking, specified as achieving or failing to achieve its aims.
"the good or ill success of their maritime enterprises"
- the attainment of popularity or profit.
ˈhapēnəs/
noun
noun: happiness; plural noun: happinesses
the state of being happy.
"she struggled to find happiness in her life"
synonyms:pleasure, contentment, satisfaction, cheerfulness, merriment, gaiety, joy, joyfulness, joviality, jollity, glee, delight, good spirits, lightheartedness, well-being, enjoyment;
exuberance, exhilaration, elation, ecstasy, jubilation, rapture, bliss, blissfulness, euphoria, transports of delight;
Hollywood ending
"trying to rediscover the happiness we once knew"
When prompted to reflect on their hopes and dreams for their children, most parents will site success and happiness. Both categories are wont for greater exploration, at times contradictory, and not necessarily simple to define. They are dependent upon the family values, expectations passed down through generations, and closely tied to the family's own experience with success and happiness.
Parents send their children to school with the expectation that it will prepare them for success in life, while maintaining a basic level of safety and security where happiness can occur. Parents require accountability from these schools to trust that the system is working. Schools are challenged with measuring something that is essentially immeasurable. How can a school be confident that the standardized tests are indicative of a future successful life? What elements of success do the test scores miss? We educate young people because we want to launch them into a successful, industrious, meaningful life where they contribute readily to society in a way that is aligned with their personal strengths, skills, and interests. How can a school make space for this type of learning?
Quality schools generally share three common areas of strength: active and engaged community, strong foundational organization and leadership, and a team of teachers that practice child-centered learning strategies. These three things in harmony create a school climate that is conducive to successful outcomes for all learners. High functioning schools are intentional about the values that they are imparting on their students. Contemporary research suggests that it is the character traits of people that ultimately drive them toward the creation of their own goals, autonomous living, and life satisfaction. Schools that make space for character education, based on this research, are more likely to produce individuals that self-describe as being successful and living a life of meaning.
As important as the school environment is for adopting positive life qualities, the critical influence of the home and primary caregivers cannot be emphasized enough. Families that have intentional values and share these regularly with their children are more likely to produce confident children with healthy emotional regulation and high levels of executive functioning. Parenting style also plays a significant part in how children receive the lessons and respond in turn. Some of my favorite books surrounding this research can be found on My Favorite Things page. Some of my favorite research on this subject include that done by Paul Tough, Carol Dweck, and Madeline Levine. Researcher and author Paul Tough (2012) suggests that there are seven character traits that are strong predictors of success. These include: curiosity, gratitude, zest, optimism, self-control, social intelligence and grit. Additionally, the work of Dweck (2006) supports the notion that the development of a growth mindset enables the development of both cognitive and noncognitive factors of life satisfaction and success. Madeline Levine speaks to the importance of raising children with a strong sense of family values and self-awareness. All of these qualities and expectations can be fostered at home regardless of whether the school institutes a character education program.
It is also worth considering the culture in which we are raising our children. Dan Buettner studied cultures across the world to look for commonalities in longevity and developed a list of healthy lifestyle habits from areas he coined the Blue Zones. The "power nine" as he calls them include moving naturally, having a purpose, minimizing stress, living moderately, eating a plant-based diet, celebrating life, having faith in something greater than oneself, being family-oriented, and being a part of a community.
While measuring the biological evidence of longevity is one way to consider successful living, the quality of life is measured in other ways: life evaluation and emotional well-being. Every year, the Gallup World Poll uses three indexes based physical safety, life evaluation, and emotional well-being to rate how "happy" various parts of the world are. By analyzing the data, researchers surmise that there are three areas that seem to support "happiness:" pleasure, passion, and purpose. Helping young people identify their road map to the 3Ps might be the best way we can ensure their future happiness and success.