Mind, Health, Legacy, Climate & Garden Teachers
In every school from 2022 onward especially in those (developed) countries that already have a good organized educational infrastructure the following new teaching job is introduced:
The “mind” teacher
For every 250 pupils in lower or higher grade a teacher specialized in the training the “mind” will be designated. This in order to :
Learn how to change our way of living;
Learn the concepts of behavior and habits;
Explain the mechanisms on how habits arise, why they are so difficult to change and how to change them:
Increase our emotional awareness, how emotions sometimes can take over our lives to our great peril;
Learn to cope with anger, confusion, frustration, fear, loneliness, sadness;
Learn to cultivate love and compassion for other people and oneself.
In short how to “regulate” and manage our emotions so they are not allowed to create havoc in stress situations.
Children and adolescents need to be told about the burn-out epidemic caused by stressful working conditions that ways asking for more output and flexibility. How to prevent it.
Implement programs that learn young people to resist “impulsive buying” ;
Implement programs that learn young people how to go about with the smartphone, what to do to not become addicted…many programs already exist;
Furthermore, the teacher will make children aware of a specific undesired/desired social behavior/beliefs (and propose alternatives):
The fact that that “worth” of a person depends on the amount of physical “wealth” one has (or ones parents have) accumulated;
The fact that social status is derived from wealth;
Bragging with wealth because bragging with wealth implies you are footprinting a lot and footprinting is an undesired social behavior;
“Consuming” for the sake of consuming, out of boredom, to fulfill a specific “need” of “instant satisfaction” (compensation behavior), instead, change consumption patterns by limiting consuming in a conscious way;
Teaching and educating young people that patience is a virtue, that one does not “die” if a felt “need” is not immediately satisfied.
A “drug" information program with emphasis on the undesired use of “society & party drugs”
The view that a car reflects a “social status” instead of being a “utility” to transport persons from place A to B. A car should get a much more reduced “status” in society then it has now. A car is not part of “the expression of our personality” salesman would like us to believe, and should not be.
The “health” teacher
For every 250 pupils in lower or higher grade a teacher specialized in “health” will be designated. The teacher will train the youth in all aspects of a healthy life;
Children are to learn how to prepare healthy food with family and/or friends is a very good way to increase social cohesion;
Learn the next generation how to lead a healthy life, learn them the alternatives to and consequences of smoking, alternatives to fast food, explain the causes and consequences of diabetes and overweight.
Workshops are organized, from young onwards “exercises” in changing habits are a fixed part of the curricula;
Lower grade > in every year from 6 to 12 at least 60 hrs are spent /
Higher grade > in every year from 12 to 18 at least 60 hrs are spent / year expanding on the above subjects.
There is a shortage of teachers. Teachers need to be more respected and more financially supported.
People on retirement, who have already “footprinted” in abundance, who are willing, should be allowed to actively take part in the education initiatives. (amend shortage of teachers).
The “legacy” teacher
For every 250 pupils in lower or higher grade a teacher specialized in inter generational thinking, acting, living. One is not born with a such a mindset. It has to be thought. Topics might include:
Those mentioned in R Krznaric’s book :
our place in the history of the Earth, the Universe…some modesty instead of creating hyper individualistic big ego’s;
how we would like to be remembered : a topic that props up once you’re over 50…should be a compass for youngsters too;
the concept of inter generational justice;
plan for the future, project that span multiple generations - the “cathedral thinking”;
a long term way forward for civilisation.
to be further developed
The “climate” teacher
For every 250 pupils in lower or higher grade a teacher specialized in “climate issues” will be designated. He/she will become the specialist children can turn to for all issues involving climate change, reducing footprint…;
Courses of eco-moral are to be developed whereby one learns to respect oneself, other people but also other life forms. That if we “use” them (read eat them) this should be done with a form of restraint and respect and kept to a minimum. Therefore adolescents will learn how to kill a chicken, clean it, prepare it and then consume it;
Movies are to be shown how animals are treated in abattoirs;
Visits to abattoirs are to be organized on a routine basis such that all young people see with their own eyes how we go about these days to create “meat on the plate”;
Where possible schools will develop their own garden where they will be taught to grow vegetables,
The “garden” teacher
Where possible schools (pupils, teacher, parents, family members) will built, develop, maintain and harvest from their own garden. In this garden:
pupils will be taught how to grow vegetables;
manage chickens, sheep, pigs;
bring to school all reusable household waste to feed the chickens and pigs;
learn how to prepare healthy food with the health teacher;
learn the “cost” of eating meat by learning to kill a chicken and clean it if they want to eat it…
Lower grade > in every year from 6 to 12 at least 60 hrs are spent / year ;
Higher grade > in every year from 12 to 18 at least 60 Hrs are spent / year expanding on the above subjects.
There is a shortage of teachers. Teachers need to be more respected and more financially supported.
People on retirement, who have already “footprinted” in abundance, who are willing, should be allowed to actively take part in the education initiatives. (amend shortage of teachers).
This serves to have a healthy mix and integration of different generations whereby “retired” people can still give a valuable contribution to society.