Alwyn Poole
alwynpoole.substack.com
Alwyn Poole founded and was the Principal of Mt Hobson Middle School and the Villa NCEA Academy in Newmarket, Auckland for the first 18 years.
The default mode of children and young people is to look to the grownups in the room for inspiration, comfort and guidance.
As Carl Jung said:
“Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment and especially on their children than the unlived life of the parent.”
How are we doing otherwise in New Zealand and further afield in terms of example setting for children at present?
- Our politicians and media are at their lowest ever ebb in terms of trust – and deserve to be. They have lost the room.
- We have a dialogue around Covid-19 based on fear, doom and gloom.
- Everything has to be a crisis (Covid, Climate, Housing, …) not an opportunity. Our political opposition is largely to blame – they propose nothing.
- Our aspiration level is so low that only 35% of decile 1 students attend school regularly and under 60% across socio-economic levels.
- Western nations not only left their own citizens in Afghanistan but also many brave Afghanis who assisted as – interpreters, carpenters, electricians, mechanics, cleaners, and female kitchen workers – have been abandoned and stranded.
- Freedom of speech is being suppressed which includes freedom to ask questions, to think critically, to disagree. The current NZ government have openly claimed to be the single source of truth and appear to have stepped into the past Catholic church approach of – don’t question – just follow the edicts from the pulpit.
- Identity and group think has become more important than valuing the individual. Cancelling people is the new norm and people reside in their philosophical camps and social-media echo chambers. The easiest way to de-humanise is to give someone a label and bully them into acquiescence.
Adults have become timid. I fear that if a Hitler were to arise today the advice would be Chamberlain’s; to appease at all costs. James Shaw would stride forth with pride to declare that he has taken Churchill off the wall. It is of significant wonder that Jo Jo Rabbit has not been declared as thought terrorism for laughing at despots.
Adults have gone from warriors to worriers and young people notice and it has a massive impact on their sense of future. When you have no sense of future you seek gratification in the moment. You devalue your education, you take risks, you bully and commit petty crime, you become de-stabilised and self-harm.
Concerned expressions and “be kind” type platitudes do nothing for children and young people. They want to hear of courage, adventure, risk, fortitude. They need heroes – in the home, in the neighbourhood, and in our leaders. They don’t need … “we will hide from them far from the beaches.”
They need adults to question, argue and demand full disclosure and evidence. They don’t want to see people cancelled – they want bad ideas intelligently opposed and good ideas developed. They want to ask questions.
Children and young people need the grownups, to tell the truth, that life is short, should be lived with a sense of adventure, that crises pass and that courage and determination are approaches that are never out of place.
For the sake of their own personal peace, affluence and preservation the adults of New Zealand are crushing the next generation.
Time to roll up the sleeves – as Charles Upham VC and Bar would have.
