The problem of addiction

It is really funny how the ideas about addiction have changed over the years. When I was a bright eyed graduate it was the alcohol & drugs that presented the major concern to both parents and teachers. Over the years I have seen it change to one of gaming and technology based addictions that now seem to have centre stage (more information here). Although, I think that a pornography based addiction is also "raising its hand" to be a contender. I wonder if the computer and information age really is the boon that we imagine, or simply an extra distraction?

I suppose a good starting point would be to remind ourselves what addiction is, and according to Psychology Today, it is the condition that results when a person ingests a substance or engages in an activity that can be pleasurable, but the continued act becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities. A huge topic and problem, but I think I will narrow down to look at a problem that is surfacing more and more at schools - gaming & computer dependency. It seems to be a real problem that is becoming more pronounced and the tip of the iceberg is showing rather than the whole problem. I suppose that the first symptoms we see are the usual ones of tired students who skip class and are procrastinators. Now that in itself is a symptom that could apply to lots of problems and it is not until we delve deeper that we find the real problem.


The problem of addiction could well stem back to the style of life and societal pressures. We definitely live in an "instant society where self gratification is a fact of life". And this is part of the problem. Computer use allows us to be anywhere and anyone all at the click of a button. The instant gratification that goes with this tends to feed the pleasure centres of our brain - we get a dopamine surge. It's a simple action reward loop that feeds the addiction - I apologise for simplifying this extremely complex process, but for the sake of understanding I will continue. The child/teen then associates the action with the reward and each subsequent act deepens the physical response as a positive action. In simple terms, I think I can understand why they continue even though they are told it's a bad thing. We provide the negatives but the gaming wins by providing the dopamine and the feeling of pleasure. This is why it is hard for teens to break the cycle.

This immediate response compares favourably with the more mundane activities that come with student life, particularly learning. As a teacher, and I'm sure it's the same with parents, I get the comment that "I am bored" or "it's boring" as a response to why they are slow getting started or completing tasks. As I have mentioned previously, teens are yet to fully master the skills that control their actions and this allows this sort of addiction to flourish. The push for the moment rather than the delayed gratification is a learnt skill and many teens do not have the brain function and confidence to do this. And the younger the teen, the greater the problem, this is why many of the bad habits and addiction begins at an early age. But the problem doesn't really become a huge one until the stakes become higher in the senior school, and suddenly the addiction comes into the light.

Learning is a slow process that gradually builds upon the information and skills we gather, and more importantly the response for doing well is not immediate. But I think this is something that could easily be covered in a future blog.

The Importance of Exercise

I think that having someone at home going through their final exams before graduating from high school is a definite eye opener. Being a teacher for many years and advising students about preparation and planning is part of the drill we all do in the lead up time, but this year seems a little more personal (if you get my drift). The lad in question is a sport lover, particularly partial to basketball, and uses it as a personal stress relief.

A chat today saw me reminding him about the importance of exercise. He has been extremely focused about his studies of late, and that is a great comfort to us. But after seeing so many students "burn out" over the years, I again strongly suggested that he escapes for a bit to let his mind catch-up. I think that the advantages of having him exercise for an hour or two would be far greater than the continuous swatting that seems so prevalent in Hong Kong (and I'm sure other cities). A blog from the New York Times I recently read supported my thoughts (the link to the blog is found here). I was impressed with the strong links between healthy body and healthy mind - especially a new study that reveals "Japanese scientists found that the brains of fit older men were almost as efficient as the brains of younger people". If that does not give a great reason for engaging in exercise, then I don't know what will? While the blog itself was not directed at the general idea of exercise during study, I think that the links are still strong with the links between neuronal growth and exercise so strong.

I think that we also miss seeing the importance of exercise to mental health and well-being. Under stressful situations we tend to make some poor decisions and I know he is going through that now. The stress is much more easily managed if he can continue with his exercise during his exam preparation time. We all know that increased anxiety and stress is a bi-product of the exam cycle and students during this time can be emotionally and mentally fragile. Flips in behaviour and mood swings are an accepted part of the process it seems, but a program of study that integrates exercise will surely have a positive impact. I think that this is essentially the same advice I was given all those years ago, although then there was no real scientific supporting evidence or studies. But simply promoting these simple actions can have a long lasting effect on our charges.

We all know that if something works it is much more liable to be repeated in the future and become a habit that lasts throughout our lives. I really wonder why this does not seem to be part of the plan for many of the students I teach? Parents are concerned about the welfare of their child(ren) but at this time of their lives, they seem to push harder at academics, and by extension, less about their well-being. The really sad part is that we all know the benefits of exercise and yet seem reluctant to push it during these times. We are so caught up with the notion of perceived success that we ignore the big picture that a key parent role is to ensure wellbeing, both physical and mental.

Looking at a meme I recently saw that asked "Is your child's mental health worth more than their grades?" made me think about this very thing. Children tend to reach the goals they have for themselves, but if they achieve a little lower during this period of their life is that such a big thing? Is their life going to be measured against the grades they achieve during matriculation from high school? Is this the real and only measure of their worth?

How important is homework?

I really think that this has been a hot topic within school communities for as long as I have been teaching. I recall getting together to discuss and formulate school-based policy, with many simply following the idea of homework is part of education. But the one discussion that has never been fully explored is that starting with the word, why? We have "discussed to death" the idea of how much a real perennial discussion. This one always seems to end up with the words "parental expectations". It almost seems as if we think parents demand it and parents think we demand it, and now it is sort of a "tradition". Meanwhile the generations slip by.

The idea of homework fits like a hand in a glove inside the control mentality of societies. Some think that it keeps the children gainfully employed and occupied instead of being engaged in activities such as play. In many ways it fits in with the Georgian attitude of idle hands, being vigilant in case a child or teen has free time and "gets into some mischief". In Hong Kong society (and I'm sure this would equally apply to many other cities) this seems to extend right down to the preschool centres and kindergartens, and the homework is seen as a right of passage and a measure of getting value for one's money. If the school or centre does not offer homework, then there can be no "real" learning going on. The true irony though comes when you look closely at the documents governing these areas which stipulates a "play based curriculum". I know that students as young as 4 are schooled in getting into centres in HK, and this surely involves homework and some good old fashioned rote learning. But then the question is "are we getting it right?". I think all we need to do is look at Finland who have been near the top of PESA testing for sometime. Their education system seems more successful and yet they do not even begin homework until students are in their teens! If you want to know some more visit the Business Insider link. Now state education systems have known about this for some time - after all it is not a hidden secret. Yet we still perpetuate the myth that homework is an important part of education of our children.

Recent articles particularly those about primary education are finally beginning to show a slow movement against this. Articles such as the one on the Salon site, take this question to heart and look at what is happening. The idea and importance of homework is now beginning to be questioned in earnest. I think the gaining of importance of the well-being, and positive psychology and education push have again put traditions under the spotlight. I think that the quote that sums up the homework debate is

"A child just beginning school deserves the chance to develop a love of learning. Instead, homework at a young age causes many kids to turn against school, future homework and academic learning."

Students are experiencing more anxiety, social and emotional problems than previously and this is causing concern in many areas of society. If this is really a growing problem, what are the causes and what is being done about it? Homework is an easy target, but surely only a starting point. Maybe it really is time for the respective education systems to make a real effort to solve this and other issues.

The importance of the "f word"

For such a long time the idea of failure was almost a taboo thing to bring up or discuss. But that is not always the case and was dependent upon which culture or group I was teaching. I recall having so much negativity put on the word during the early part of my teaching career when the emphasis on student rights and welfare gained momentum. Essentially we took that word out of the dictionary ad allowed to our students to gain a whole new complexion and belief about the world they grew up in.

I think the first alternative view came when I first ventured out of Australia and into the wider world of education. I recall having a discussion with my principal after I had completed reports, the gist of which was "Every student has the right to fail". I contemplated this and saw that in some ways we were actually doing the student an injustice by not providing them with this option. I saw almost a whole generation of students ill-equipped to cope with adversity because we had taken it away from them. At the time, the "real world" did not mirror this point of view, and much to the consternation of students the driving test proved to be a fearsome challenge. Now obviously this is a good thing considering the option of allowing an untrained or unprepared driver to be in control of a car is a very scary thought. The number of students I saw brought to tears as they encountered the "f word" for the first time was amazing.

I think that the idea of failure was and still is taken out of context by too many. I know as a young person it was used in my schooling, and yes it was a painful pill to swallow whenever it was used. But, it was an impetus to look elsewhere for a solution. Failure is and never was the end, it simply told you that something didn't work, so find another way. I think this was lost in the over willingness to extend the perceived well-being above the learning. Like many other ideas , failure is a learned term, children don't know or understand it unless we teach it, and react and respond to it. Unfortunately, our collective (parents, teachers and society in general) reaction is the big negative and leads to the stigma that we try so hard to overcome! Our actions cause the stigma, not the fact that they could not do something the first time. Too often the idea that you tried is lost under this stigma that we put on the result! Failure is a consequence of a fixed mindset only seeing the end outcome. This causes stagnation in a child's willingness to try and accept challenges, they don't want to be labelled. A growth mindset will see it as an opportunity to learn - plan A didn't work so lets try plan B. I found the diagram on the left, that I'm sure most have seen,  at Belmont teach blog. I think they got it right, or at least closer to the truth than by simply ignoring it. Failure should be seen for what it is, a chance to build resilience strategies.

I think that the catalyst to again chase this idea out from under the dark corners of our psyche was an article on the Quartz site. The article centred on skills that CEOs seek in applicants and surprisingly (or maybe not so) the idea of accepting challenges and trying, and in some cases failing, proved to be a positive. So in essence, employers seek a growth mindset. The idea of failure can mean that you are trying to solve the problem, rather than simply waiting for a solution. The idea that we shouldn't try shows a distinct lack of initiative, and that other should be able to find the answer. The importance of trying to solve and seeing possibilities is surely of greater value to any institution or company that the willingness to do the opposite! As pointed out in the blog, life is not smooth and "ups and downs" part of the daily cycle that we all have to deal with.

I think the idea below that was posed in the article sums it up -

Parents are being reprimanded socially for engineering failure-free lives for their children, producing kids who lack the resilience to function in the ups and downs of daily life. “Young people today, in the US at least, haven’t failed very much,” Crandall says.