American education has a organized religion problem. No, I'm not talking about the debates about religion and to what extent information technology influences schools. I'thousand talking about the blind, unquestioning religion nosotros have to the god of educational purpose: College.

American education is obsessed with college as the answer to all our woes.

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College volition set our fiscal failures. College will make us happy. Information technology will give us a sense of purpose. True: College graduates exercise gain a host of benefits. But, we are so fixated on just getting kids to college, we don't frequently enquire why and for what purpose. Nosotros are lemmings leading learners to a shaky promise that equally long as they just become to college, life will exist okay.

I've seen immediate how our blind fidelity to higher has impacted thousands of students and hundreds of teachers. Nosotros have shoved all our thoughts, our energy, and our concern into getting kids into college. Regardless of whether students are a.) emotionally, socially, and academically ready for college or b.) interested in college.

I run across the results of this blind focus.

I run into information technology when I speak to hundreds of students each yr who believe their entire life depends on getting into the "perfect" higher by a prescribed date. And I run across these aforementioned students disregarding their bodily learning, putting their free energy into "GPA boosters," and taking classes that look skilful to colleges, though they detest the content and would rather be taking classes that are meaningful and allow them to enhance their talents.

I see the college obsession as I watch districts across the U.S. spend hours, days, weeks focused on surface level improvements for high stakes tests, with never a conversation about what is intellectually best for realstudent learning. And I run across this obsession manifest in eliminated electives and trades classes. Instead, schools look to pack A.P. and college-level courses with bodies, no matter how much these classes may fall beyond a student's skill set.

Most of all, I run across the results of this blind faith in my onetime students who express their misery in college, pursuing degrees they don't actually want, racking up tens of thousands of dollars in debt, and sometimes dropping out, feeling less motivated and self-confident than when they began.

The trouble is that we have blindly sold ourselves on higher as thejustroute.

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The problem with American teaching is not that nosotros run into college as a route for life satisfaction, meaning, and service. We should discuss with students the many benefits of going to college (beyond earnings and employment, which are well-nigh theonly reasons I hear brought up in schools). The problem is that we take blindly sold ourselves on college equally the onlyroad to life satisfaction, significant, and positive contributions to social club.

What if we reminded ourselves that college is just 1 ways to an end? And, what if nosotros actually based our One thousand-12 education effectually the actual "ends" of life satisfaction—the habits, experiences, and practices that contribute to altruism, meaning, and accomplishment? How could such an instruction create thriving students and enhance their mail service-secondary experiences?

Researchers and educators accept learned a lot virtually what improves one's well-being in both subjective and objective ways. Notwithstanding, schools have barely touched these ideas, clinging instead to the same traditional formulas for preparing students for life across loftier school.

Imagine if we taught life satisfaction directly.

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Yous may exist picturing a bunch of hippy, heartfelt lessons where kids sit in circles huffing incense, chanting self-assistance mantras, and boosting their self-centeredness. But, that'southward far from the potential independent within an educational system that teaches true well-existence.

Picture show students learning concepts of engagement and investing more than in their actual strengths and interests every year, not just the concluding couple months of high school through cheap, cookie-cutter surveys. To quote ane of my students, "It's really disappointing when the results of a career survey tell you that your only job matches are funeral director and garbage man." Imagine students being given ample networking opportunities to job shadow and connectfrequently with real careers.

Think near students building mindful habits that allow them to focus their attention on problems and tasks, to manage their own stress and emotions, and to be present in the classroom rather than needing the instant gratification of a social media alert.

Visualize a student given fourth dimension and coaching to develop long-term goals thatmatter to him or her.

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And practicing research-tested strategies for setting, evaluating, and accomplishing these goals. Imagine if students understood how every element of their education helped contribute to their intrinsic, long-term goals. Because, I can tell yous that, "You'll need this when yous get to college" is non cut it as a motivator.

Consider if students were allowed the freedom and support to research real problems in their world, and then allowed to collaborate and fulfill problem-based projects to influence these problems. What if we took students into the customs to serve, helping them learn firsthand the powerful effect of altruism.
Imagine if we taught the psychology of resilience (rather than just the definition) and provided safe opportunities for students to learn from their mistakes, rather than berate them, punish them, and remove them when they neglect.

Virtually of all, pic a system in which these concepts are woven into every thread of a student'southward education, instead of just being mini-lessons that we'll become to if nosotros terminate "covering" some Mutual Core content. We would educate students across beingness "ready" for college. We would develop students who have the motivation, the experience, and the skill gear up to detect purpose, service, and satisfaction in their earth.

These images of a new educational paradigm are far from utopian.

I've seen these moments of thriving. Simply these moments are non a natural past-product of a system that worships college as the fix for languishing learners. These moments are made intentionally when educators teach the "ends" of well-being directly, while highlighting the many "ways" to this end, including college.
Over the next few months, I'll be sharing everything a teacher needs to make concepts like positive emotion, mindfulness, resilience, purpose, and empathy an essential part of their classrooms. Look for the Thriving Learner series here and at AffectiveLiving.com for the inquiry, the lessons, and the learnings that will assist students thrive now, in their postal service-secondary, and across. In the concurrently, consider: What is your main consequence in your classroom? Practice you seek to merely get students ready for higher?  Or, do you seek to aid students better experience life? Your answer matters.