Debate: Positive Education—An Empty Phrase or a True Revolution?
Over the past decade or so, the term “positive education”—often associated with kindness—has become increasingly popular, both in schools and among families. It encompasses a wide range of concepts, including positive parenting,positive authority, and positive discipline.
Sylvain Wagnon, University of Montpellier
Although its definition has yet to be established, it is already clear that it is, above all, about respecting the rights and needs of children and adults through more understanding, empathetic, and constructive human relationships.
Child Protection
As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed on November 20, 1989, positive education must be seen within the context of this historic commitment to taking into account the needs and “best interests” of the child.
This protection of children has evolved through legislation addressing both children’s rights and the rights of the state. Indeed, the19th century established a “protective system” in response to the absolute authority of parents—and more specifically, of the father—over their children.
The rejection of child abuse has been a recurring theme in French legislation up until the law of July 10, 2019, on “everyday violence”—a law that some critics disparagingly refer to as the “anti-spanking” law. Yet this intolerable violence exists, and children remain the forgotten victims in the fight against violence.
In France, a child dies every five days as a result of abuse by their parents; 165,000 children are victims of rape and sexual violence each year; and children remain the primary victims of domestic violence. All of these facts make positive parenting an absolute necessity.
School climate
Since the passage of the Law on the Reform of the French School System on July 8, 2013, official documents from the Ministry of National Education have emphasized that “the conditions necessary for a peaceful school environment must be established in schools and educational institutions to promote student learning, well-being, and personal growth, as well as good working conditions for all.”
Kindness and empathy contribute to the concept of a new “school climate” by boosting students’ motivation and skills. This recognition is linked to the results of international assessments conducted as part of the OECD’s PISA program, which indicate that the education systems making the most progress are those that are grounded in kindness. These factors illustrate the importance of the quality of the educational relationship between teachers and students for meaningful educational change.
Positive authority, a concept that originated in the world of elite sports, emphasizes the balance between firmness and flexibility. In the educational setting, “positive discipline” once again highlights the importance of communication, dialogue, and respect toward children and adolescents. School punishments or humiliating remarks—symbols of a coercive educational approach—are generally discouraged.
Parental investment
The issue extends beyond the school setting and is described by some as a revolution in family life, centered on positive parenting. While no one can object to the desire for harmonious relationships between children and parents, this concept is open to debate when it is perceived as a requirement.
In a book published in September 2019, Béatrice Kammerer highlighted the risk that these demands for emotional labor could lead to mothers feeling guilty, without any change in the division of roles between parents.
Parenting is all about trial and error. Education is never an exact science—and thankfully so. While scientific knowledge, particularly in neuroscience, offers valuable insights, it should not and cannot serve as a standard for education. Yet proponents of positive psychology often try to validate it through measurable results.
The question of how to evaluate education—and especially its goals—has been raised. What do parents hope to achieve through this positive approach to education: their child’s personal growth, improved cognitive performance, an end to family conflicts, or better obedience?
The risk of standardization
The current trend is linked to this pursuit of happiness. In Happycracy, Éva Illouz and Edgar Cabanas analyze the gradual takeover of our lives by the values of positive psychology, which promote the imperative of personal fulfillment and well-being. It is not this desire for happiness that is at issue—quite the contrary—but rather the means employed and the intentions behind them.
Turning a process and an ideal into a mandate leads people to frustration and an endless quest. The “well-being syndrome” can lead to suffering stemming from this demand for positivity and the inability to be happy. Isn’t there, behind the question of what it means to be happy, a risk of creating an archetype of the positive, young, healthy, and beautiful person?
It is therefore clear that positive education is essential in the face of the abuse and coercion suffered by some children. It is a prerequisite. We must now develop this positive education with a focus on the rights, respect, and freedom of both the child and the parents, while avoiding the establishment of a single, inherently coercive educational standard.
Sylvain Wagnon, Professor of Education, Faculty of Education, University of Montpellier
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Readthe original article.