Leading a Full Student Life through Our College Values

NJC alumnus and head writer at @wanderingintofocus Jerald Teoh reconciles why some students seem to have to focus on grades more than others, presents a framework identifying the progressive priorities of students, and posits how this model may be intricately linked to the College Values.

Why does it always seem like the students who are doing the best tell the rest that "grades are not the most important thing"? If it clearly isn't, then a rationally-planned curriculum will not centre around that fact. 2 or 6 years in, here we are in the final lap in the sprint to the finish line of the race that is your pre-university education.

Today I attempt to reconcile this by presenting my Preliminary Hypothesis on the Dynamically Changing Needs of the First-world Student.

For this model to be applicable, the student must first exist within what I would call an "individualistic-competitive" education system - where individual achievement is emphasized and students are benchmarked not by their individual progress and self-improvement, but by their relative proficiency to their peers in standardized assessments.

This model assumes that the basic physiological needs of the student are being met, where she has continual access to shelter and safety, health and nourishment, as well as full-time education without needing to take part-time jobs for income. The effect of quality and quantity of sleep has not been rigorously considered. This piece does not discuss religious themes.

I posit that a student can and will only desire, and willingly pursue further personal growth, if the needs of a lower order have been sufficiently met. Similarly, the failure to adequately meet a need of the lower order due to major life events or changing circumstances will compromise the continued desire for higher order needs and their attainment.

1) Esteem and Value

The student must, first and foremost, have a sense of self-worth and self-esteem. This can be fulfilled intrinsically or extrinsically, depending on her level of extraversion. This extraversion must be measured against the student's character, and not by circumstance; it is important to qualify between students who thrive on isolation, and those who are isolated because of a lack of social skill, the latter of whom will thus have an unmet need for social belonging. Value can be derived intrinsically, or from external validation, such as being romantically involved or having a mutually primary best friend. Correspondingly, the non-mutually agreed ending of a romantic relationship or loss of close friends and social inclusion compromises one's esteem and value.

In mental health counseling, one of the primary techniques for coping with a lost sense of meaning is self-talking, wherein one convinces oneself of the value of the self and the work being done by focusing on positive thoughts and perspectives. Notwithstanding the initial guidance from the counselor, this process is highly dependent on the self, and is thus an intrinsic factor. Only after one starts to believe in oneself and actively take steps to feel better by changing a perspective, can one start to work toward other worldly goals. Thus, the graph of esteem and value is relatively high in the beginning, for it is fundamental to all other needs.

Since the model postulates that lower order needs must be fulfilled before the desire for higher order needs is manifested, the graph for esteem and value tapers off toward the right as the relative importance of self-talking decreases with personal growth and development.

This is because with increasing character development, the person can better appreciate her worth, adequately fulfilling this need. The fulfilment of this need without requiring as substantial an active effort as before thus lowers its perceived relative importance to the person. Moreover, the access to better opportunities and greater responsibilities allows her to feel valued and appreciated by other people.

A similar rationale is used to explain the tapering off of each of the graphs with the peaking of a following graph, because while the inherent importance of a need does not diminish (since it is a prerequisite for a higher order need), its relative importance decreases with the ease of attaining it as less effort and focus is required to ensure its continual attainment.

2) Success Motivation

The student then considers her motivation for academic achievement. Such motivations can be intrinsic, such as a clearly-defined ambition and goals, or externally imposed, such as "helicopteresque" parental guidance. However, recognize that these external factors only impact the student if the student is intrinsically motivated in another aspect, such as not wishing to disappoint others' expectations of her.

The graph of success motivation only increases after significant emotional stability is attained, where the relative importance of esteem and value decreases once the student has decided on suitable coping mechanisms and decides that she matters.

The attainment of a success motivation precedes that of academic proficiency for a student cannot be motivated to do well if she does not see the purpose in studying in the first place, or has no ambition or end goal to work toward.

3) Academic Proficiency

Correspondingly, having ambition and the drive to succeed allows the need for academic proficiency to peak, for the student is now motivated to attain academic achievement.

Only after developing sustainable studying techniques and doing relatively well in her academics can the student start to shift her attention away from academics to develop in the extra-curricular aspects. Failing which, the student cannot start to find fulfillment in Co-curricular Activity achievement, leadership, or service.

4) Co-curricular Achievement

A system of education that believes in the concept of holistic development will likely mandate that every student participates in a Co-curricular Activity (CCA) of non-academic nature, as ours does. However, the extent of a student's participation and initiative in taking up opportunities within the CCA is largely dependent on personal action.

Thus, the graph of Co-curricular achievement peaks only after academic proficiency is attained, where the student has the capacity to spend time on training and practices in the CCA, utilizing and developing her talents and abilities.

5) Leadership

Having attained a balance between academics and CCA, the student can look to developing her capacity to lead. The prerequisites are necessary not only for the student to be selected in the first place to be in a position of leadership, but also to retain that position and inspire her followers, for a person who has not attained academic proficiency and a balance with CCA cannot afford to lead by example, and will probably not be able to be a good leader.

This also explains the rigorous selection for most important student leadership positions in school, such as the Student Council or Executive Committee of the CCA; the attainment of academic proficiency and Co-curricular achievement significantly opens up access to exclusive opportunities for students who are able to fulfill the aforementioned prerequisites.

6) Service

In most cases, especially within the "individualistic-competitive" context outlined in the preamble, only when you've helped yourself, can you start to help others in a meaningful way.

The continual attainment of emotional stability, inner drive, academic proficiency, Co-curricular achievement and significant leadership experience then allows the student to look beyond the self, and discover meaning in service to the community.

The graph of service increases in proportion with that of leadership because leadership, when done right, is considered a service in its own right.

The graph of service is the only one that does not taper off to a level lower than its peak because the fulfilment and meaning that one can attain from service should not diminish. Conversely, one would find continued meaning in the good work that is being done, else she would not willingly choose to continue serving.

CONCLUSION

In the above model, we see how the attainment of lower order needs allow for the capacity to achieve higher order ones, but also that these individual factors are mutually interdependent in that the lower order ones must continue to be sustained.

I believe that this model parallels our College Values as:

Loyalty with Integrity

grounding ourselves in strong moral principles, being honest with ourselves, and loyal to our friends and those with whom relationships we cherish,

Scholarship with Creativity

attaining academic proficiency, balanced with Co-curricular achievement in non-academic aspects,

Leadership with Sensitivity

rising to the responsibilities of being in a position of leadership, whilst remaining sensitive to those whom you seek to inspire; servant leadership,

Service with Honour

the highest calling of putting the needs of others before yourself without compromising your personal well-being and moral principles.

Thus, understanding the above model can provide a framework for the student to decide which aspects to prioritise over others, by considering if she has met the lower order prerequisites, and guide her in leading a fulfilling and carefully-considered student life.