What Makes a Well-rounded, Happy and Smart Learner

If you are reading this, chances are that you are curious about how to be a well-rounded student and achieve better results in your academics and extracurricular activities without having to sacrifice your social life or happiness. Contrary to popular belief and the general portrayal by Hollywood of smart people as higher intellectual life forms who are excellent as far as books are concerned but mediocre at everything else, it is possible for one to excel in more than one arena and still maintain the balance needed to remain happy. Below are some of the things that make a well-rounded, happy and smart l ear ner. Research by education experts shows that engagement in student leadership actually promotes a student’s learning and achievement. Leadership is not a light or easy task, and combining leadership with your studies is even harder.

However, there is one thing that leadership teaches that improves your character- seeing the big picture, developing initiative and learning how to manage your time. This simple skills are indispensable if you are to be a well-rounded and happy learner as they help you to be more organized and efficient in anything you set out to do. For you to be a well-rounded, happy and smart learner, you also need to be take part in some form of community development work. This involves volunteering for a cause you truly believe in. For instance, you might decide to help raise awareness among teenagers in your society about the negative effects of drug use and the consequences that may follow intimate relationships at a young age such as unplanned pregnancies.

You can also volunteer in an initiative that raises awareness about global warming and promotes adaption of more Eco-friendly ways of living in the society. Well-rounded students usually volunteer at something that they are truly passionate about and that is why they are so effective doing so  well-rounded, happy and smart learner is usually involved in one or more club activity in school. Just as is the case with community involvement and volunteering choices, these students usually join the clubs they are most passionate about. Being active in club activities offers them the opportunity to interact with people who have similar interests and helps inculcate a strong team work spirit in them. Far from being a “jack of all trades”, the well rounded student concentrates on only a few club activities and this enables them to achieve the highest possible excellence in what they do. A well-rounded, happy and smart learner is a “man of the world”. A student’s education should not be confined to only what one learns in the classroom and well-rounded learners know this. That is why they invest a significant amount of their time uncovering and trying to understand cultures other than their own.

Different cultures have different rules governing acceptable rules of conduct and what may be acceptable in one culture might be totally unheard of in another. Being well versed in the different practices carried out in different parts of the world enables such learners to blend in in a variety of social situations and better appreciate other people’s culture. In addition to the above, a well-rounded individual enjoys the constant pursuit of knowledge and takes his/ her academics very seriously. Although they are involved in various activities, they understand that their chief business in school is to pursue knowledge and excel in their academics. This ensures that they do not forget why they went to school in the first place while doing other activities. A well rounded student generally has a mix of strong academics, good understanding of different cultures and is actively involved in other school and community engagements.

Being well rounded is indispensable to a student’s happiness since it establishes the much needed balance between their academic and social life as well as other interests. Such students generally become more successful and better leaders than their counterparts since they learn to see how various things fit into the “Big Picture”. The school serves as the second home of the students. Yet, this could also serve as a stepping stone in developing various skills that can be attributed to students’ pursuit for excellence. These skills can be honed inside and even outside the classroom. But in both aspects, leadership skill would be one of the most anticipated skills students can learn in schools. Leadership is the relational process that engages scholarship and the life experiences of students to understand and change their communities. Leadership is a teachable and learned phenomenon and takes on a serious process of acquisition.

Everyone is capable of leadership; thus, leaders are made, not born. There are opportunities to learn and practice leadership in all schools. Student leadership refers to education principles and practices that give young people the opportunities and support to find their voices, to participate in decision-making, and to understand their rights and responsibilities as active citizens. When students are given the skills and opportunity to lead within their schools, they are empowered to have a real impact on their learning and school environment and are prepared to participate meaningfully in their community Hence, as teachers of 21st century learners, we could let the students develop their leadership skills in some ways. Engagement is a prime key to let the students widen their skills in leading. Engage students in the governance and decision-making bodies of the school. Make their voice be heard in some issues relating the entire studentry. Invite and enable students to develop and implement projects to change and improve school operations, culture, climate or practices.

You let the students be engaged in various projects where they could exercise their worth as student-leaders. In such manners, other school stakeholders would appreciate as well the actions taken by student-leaders. When students are given leadership opportunities and especially when they step up and take them on, give them freedom to struggle and even fail, but support them. We always know there is no better lesson than failure, but as teachers we can help break the fall or encourage them more. But the best way to inculcate leadership skills to student is to become a great example to students to emulate. Leading a certain group is never easy especially for budding student-leaders. But this is not even an excuse to make them appreciate their value to lead and eventually influence others in actions and in deeds. In here, the teacher plays a pivotal role in shaping future leaders among the students who will become epitomes of greatness in service.