Well-Being and Learning

Discussed by the Junior Delegates and written by Kaishin Yao and Varit Asavathiratham, Year 9

Well-Being: What is it?

Perhaps we should start by saying what it is not. It’s not being happy all the time, waking up every morning and shouting “What a beautiful day!” It’s not just being ‘well-behaved’ and being a ‘good student’. No, in fact, the clue is in the name: it’s about being well! Well-being is more than just our physical health; it is also feeling secure in our identity and having a sense of belonging; it is about being resilient when coping with the normal stresses in life; it is having a sense of purpose and feeling valued by others and valuing ourselves.

Well-being: What if we don’t feel well in our minds and bodies?

Being around people with whom we are comfortable is one of the most effective ways of maintaining well-being. It allows us to talk and talking is vital: keeping things bottled up never helps. There are many people at school who we can talk to if we are feeling low. We can talk to a teacher we trust, such as our tutor, support tutor or subject teacher – teachers will want to listen and can help us find solutions to our problems or direct us to others; school counsellors are trained to help with these issues so we can ask to speak to one of them. Finally, our family members: they are often the people who know us the most so why not reach out to them?

Well-Being: How do we maintain it?

There are several things we can do. Having a balanced and healthy lifestyle is one. The ability to maintain the balance between work and leisure will have a massive impact. Why not try a physical activity during off-time to keep the body (and mind!) fit and well?

We should develop self-esteem by not being afraid to speak out, try new things and be proud of our achievements rather than always focusing on negatives. Going to CAT clubs and contributing and organising to help a cause can also make us feel better about our lives. We should do the things we love, pursuing our dreams and passions. We all need goals to keep us motivated to be happy in our learning and in our lives.

Well-Being: So how does it affect our learning?

It has a very significant impact on how we learn. Having good well-being means we are happier at school and at home, we can enjoy and focus on our learning, we feel more confident making mistakes and asking questions and ultimately we can achieve the results we aim for. We are more willing to learn, and having a positive attitude, confidence and being comfortable among our peers can influence others to be more enthusiastic learners too. Having bad days can get us down, but being able to recover from them can make us feel even better and stronger than before.

Well-being is essential not only in school, but in life in general: we should value, nurture and cherish it.