Education with passion

To paraphrase one of Hollywood's greatest productions - Jack Sparrow from 'Pirates of the Caribbean':

"The problem is not the problem; the problem is your attitude towards the problem".

With the start of each new school year comes a wealth of new opportunities, new challenges, new stepping stones...and attitude, in all of this, is the key to success.

"Live from your passion" is a phrase that we hear a great deal nowadays.

Passion is an emotion, a feeling towards a person, subject, idea or object. It is also a feeling that should be encouraged when learning.

Passion, and enthusiasm, is an attitude towards life, as Victor Küppers, trainer, lecturer and author of the book 'Living with Enthusiasm' explains in his ´TED talk´ about the “power of attitude".

During this talk, he highlights a practical example: Someone who is competent but has a negative attitude is not the same as someone who is competent but has a positive attitude. In this case, the latter will surely make a difference in the place where he or she works.

At St. George's British International School, we believe that this attitude is nurtured from an early age, which is why we teach with passion and enthusiasm, the only way to excite our students' learning. We teach with dedication and effort, with attention and personalisation, in order to offer an unbeatable British education. In turn, this fosters an environment in which each student can develop the resilience to overcome challenges, discover and develop their own talents and appreciate the perspectives and gifts of others.

An optimistic attitude to enjoy the journey more

We are all aware of the need to value what is important and live with an optimistic attitude, so that we can enjoy the journey more, and suffer less from the stones we encounter along the way. As adults, the day-to-day rush, overwork, pending bills and, in short, all the things that cause us stress, can prevent us from focusing on the incredible gifts that life gives us.

According to studies, children laugh an average of 300 to 400 times a day, while adults laugh only 20 to 30 times a day. This interesting and revealing fact shows us how the stresses, responsibilities and frustrations of adult life can, if we allow them, make us forget to enjoy life for most of the day. Therefore, we must be aware that life is short and prioritise, in order to be happy.

Children play, have fun and “enjoy the moment.”

"Of course!” - you will say to yourself - "I would have fun and enjoy the moment too if I didn't have a mortgage to pay."

However, the art of living in the moment and appreciating the little things can apply to those moments in our day-to-day lives when we are overly immersed in worries in an unproductive way.

For these reasons, at St. George's British International School, we strive to stimulate skills and make lessons motivating and productive, in order to create an optimistic attitude for the future.

Tips for living more in enthusiasm

Victor Küppers offers some tips on how to live more enthusiastically:

1.- Enjoy everything you do with work, study, driving, playing tennis, meeting, with everything! If you don't enjoy what you do, leave it, try to change, do everything in your power to do what you are passionate about.

2.- Be grateful. Value what we have; we often don't know how privileged we are.

3.- Don't complain! If you don't like something, try to change it and, if you can't, change it, approach it with serenity and concentrate on what depends on you.

4.- Be ambitious. Don't live in the past, live for the future. If you don't have ambitions you're stuck. Set them, get them!

5.- Help others. There is nothing as fulfilling as helping and doing favours for others. Many people need help, give them the most precious gift...Your time!

6.- Spread joy. Develop a sense of humour.

7. Take care of the people you love the most, spend time with them, tell them how much you love them, be kind to them.

The way you live your life depends on your attitude and how you manage your emotions. Are you joining the enthusiasm revolution?

Don't fill your life with years, fill your years with life.