The attitude to learning of parents, teachers and any people your children spend time with or respect is vital in a child’s development.

Passion and the attitude of those entrusted with a child’s development are essential to ensure their overall wellbeing.

Do you remember your favourite teacher at school? Did that teacher teach your favourite subject? Were you best at the sports and disciplines for which you received the most support and encouragement?  Were you ever told you don’t have the genes for excellence?

If you recognise these scenarios, you are among a large group of people whose passions and achievements are almost predetermined by words spoken over them at a young age.

Unfortunately, because of the way you may have been encouraged or discouraged to enjoy particular subjects, you may be, unintentionally, projecting the same ideas onto your children.

make learning exciting and fun

A psychologist and play therapist believes a teacher’s role is vital in promoting the enjoyment of a subject. “A teacher’s positive attitude impacts the tone, energy and mood of a classroom of children. It will always have consequences related to the learning environment,” she says.

“A passionate teacher will teach with energy and enthusiasm, ensuring a more engaging and interesting experience for the learner,” she adds. “This passion will enhance how they teach the subject as they will be more determined to impart the engaging essence of the subject.”

In many instances, passion is tantamount to fun. A passionate teacher can model how mathematics or history can be enjoyable  “If children see learning as an adventure or exciting discovery, rather than hard work, learning comes alive and the content is retained for longer,” she comments.

Read our article on understanding your child’s learning style.

encourage their passions

Home-schooling mom of four, Suzanne* cannot rely on school teachers to instil passion in her children’s learning. Instead, she is responsible for revealing fervour in all learning areas, regardless of where her passion lies.

To achieve this, Suzanne spends time with each child individually, focusing on their strengths and weaknesses and using their personal interests to guide her teaching.

Her six-year-old daughter, Ruth*, is interested in astronomy and geography. Suzanne ensures that to facilitate and encourage Ruth’s enjoyment of these subjects, they visit the planetarium, enabling Ruth to spend time poring over maps and atlases.

However, because all four of her children are so different in their capabilities and interests, their involvement in outings that might be of little interest to them may encourage a fascination to be explored later.

teaching with conviction

Thalia Hansen, an educational content creator and former high school teacher, also knows well how the attitude and passion of a teacher can influence learning.

“Anyone can go into a classroom and recite a textbook. Anyone can blurt out a prepared lesson. However, only a few can truly instil passion in their students.”

Thalia believes the key to learning is teaching with conviction. “If a teacher is passionate about a subject but speaks over the heads of the learners, the passion is useless. There is a critical balance between passion for the subject and compassion for the student,” she says.

“A teacher who dresses up to play a role, and uses music and other appealing approaches to learning, will not only engage and encourage children, but also earn their respect because they realise the teacher has their best interests at heart.”

be a positive role model

Unfortunately, not all children will experience a connection to a teacher or a subject. This is where parents’ roles are vital.

“Parents are key role models for young children,” says the psychologist. “Displaying enthusiasm for learning goes a long way in encouraging their child to develop an interest in learning.”

Parents must demonstrate time management, organisational skills and revision exercises. This way their children can learn and remember what they have been taught. Encouraging and acknowledging perseverance and effort is also essential. Perseverance is a far more useful life skill than simply regurgitating facts.

EQ over IQ

Including the compulsory life orientation subject in the South African curriculum helps in creating a generation of learners with a high EQ. Acknowledging, identifying and managing feelings should be taught from a very early age. And, together with realistic goals, constant support, unending encouragement and an attitude of passion and enjoyment for learning, ensures engaged, inquisitive and emotionally intelligent children.

Imagine if instilling positive self-belief existed in all classrooms and homes. Your children will thank you!

how to ensure a positive attitude for learning

• Keep an eye on your children’s role models – do they reflect the attitude you want your child to emulate?
• Affirmations are powerful. They take the place of negative thoughts in children’s minds.
• Be realistic, but always be positive. Genes are less important than a positive attitude.

*Names changed for privacy purposes