As educators at The Ridge, an independent boys' school in Johannesburg, we’ve seen a trend unfold over the years of unmotivated and underachieving boys. We’re sure that as a parent, you’ve noticed this change in discipline and passion since you were in school.
This issue is not isolated to South Africa. In fact, this is referred to as a “Global Epidemic Of Unmotivated boys," as highlighted in the book "Boys Adrift" by Leonard Sax. As adults who care about our future leaders, this is, of course, quite alarming to us.
Our responsibility as educators is to challenge this epidemic and instill a love for learning in our boys. At The Ridge School, we have a vision for our boys to grow up feeling fulfilled, confident, and capable so that they can have a rich love for learning new things about themselves and the world around them.
A Differentiated Programme
In Finland, things seem to be unique from the global trend. In fact, they call Finland "a land of people who love to learn". Our principal, Mr Rumboll, believes that we’re able to foster this same love for learning with our students.
The way to make this happen is to ensure there is a rich, differentiated programme in place that integrates as many people's interests, passions, and challenges as possible.
We want our boys to be engaged in the learning process and develop a love for learning that will carry them through life. At The Ridge School, we are deeply committed to providing these opportunities to our boys.
Identifying Strengths
In Boys Adrift, it is stated that the main task of schools is to identify children's strengths, teach them how to develop their learning skills to make their strengths even stronger, and identify and improve the areas in which they may need further developmental assistance.
At The Ridge School, we’re focusing on providing our students with self-reflection opportunities where they can reflect on their various attributes and how they feel about themselves in relation to those attributes to foster an environment where students learn that they are always teachable and that there is always room for improvement.
Fostering A Love For Learning
Our commitment to The Ridge School is to help our boys develop a love for learning and the world around them. We believe that by instilling this love, our boys will become motivated and accomplished young leaders of the future.
As educators, we want to challenge the global epidemic of unmotivated boys and provide them with the tools and skills necessary to thrive in life. We want them to be confident, capable, and curious about the world around them.
If you’re looking for the best private school for boys in Johannesburg that not only recognises this global epidemic of unmotivated boys but actually has put steps in place to challenge this issue, then reach out to us at The Ridge School. You may also use this link to apply for your son to attend The Ridge if you’re ready to take the leap.
Outline of Video and Podcast
- Mr Rumbol - Book - Boys Adrift
- People from the land who like to learn
- Finland, a land of people who love to learn
- That’s our dream + vision for the Ridge
- A place where children love to learn (curiosity in many facets of the world, self, academic etc.)
- The way we make this happen is to ensure there is a rich, differentiated programme in place, and that as many people’s interests + passions + challenges are integrated into this
- We deeply committed to providing this
- (In book reference) The main tasks of schools is to identify children's strengths and to teach them how to develop their learning skills to make their strengths even stronger and improve the areas in which they need development
- This is why we are focusing on children doing self reflection on their various attributes and how they feel about those attributes (masters, need more help etc)