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Attitudes Matter

When a friend tells us that someone they know “has an attitude” we usually think that is a negative description. But in a PYP school, we want our students to leave school with attitudes – towards their learning, other people and the environment.

In the competitive global workplace students enter when they graduate there will be no shortage of highly skilled, knowledgeable workers. It is the types of attitudes people demonstrate that will distinguish them as difference makers in their communities and the world.

As Thomas Friedman points out in his brilliant book, “The World is Flat”, the rapid spread of technology has helped to level the global playing field. Because of this, people in more parts of the world than ever before have access to the same knowledge base. The skill set needed to be successful in the information age increasingly has more to do with what a person is willing to learn than where they were born.

So what will distinguish the best from “the rest” in the workplace of the future? Ironically, even in a digitalized world, a person’s character matters more than ever. For evidence of this, just check out the sizeable self-help sections at most bookstores.

The PYP has identified a set of attitudes that apply to all students and adults in a PYP school (see the information box below for a description of each PYP attitude). These are meant to be an explicit part of daily learning at Quail Run Elementary School, modeled by both students and teachers.

The PYP Attitudes are woven into class discussions, student reflections, learning activities and assessments. When reinforced at home (or when reinforcing the positive attitudes that students learn at home, church and other places), these attitudes become second nature for children.

Most schools recognize the importance of encouraging positive attitudes among students and have set up character education programs to teach these. PYP schools like McGraw in Fort Collins, Colorado and soon Quail Run in Phoenix, Arizona go even further by connecting positive attitudes to the learning of skills and knowledge and the understanding of lasting concepts.

The hoped-for outcome is that our students display the attitudes of an IB learner by choosing to use their knowledge, skills and understandings to take action for the benefit of others and their world.

We should celebrate the positive attitudes that our children display just as much as we celebrate an outstanding test score. Quail Run students have the attitudes to make a difference!