Philosophy Trio
Our Philosophy AS AN ORGANISATION
Boys thrive in an environment of discipline, high expectations, kindness and clear boundaries.
The underlying social and emotional skills to create happiness, friendship and security in life must be learned, nurtured, discussed, encouraged and practised.
LONGFORD & FRASER Leadership Academy for Boys is part of a growing educational trend to pro-actively build the social and emotional skills of young people
Our Philosophy FOR BOYS
The key in life is to be a well-rounded person.
We see too many young people (and their parents) focusing solely on the academic side of schooling (marks only).
The four LONGFORD & FRASER modules promote high standards in EQ (emotional intelligence), SQ (social intelligence) and AQ (adaptability & adversity intelligence) which, together with academic skills, are the foundations of a well-rounded student.
The LONGFORD & FRASER focus on leadership does not mean every boy will go on to be a leader.
Leadership also refers to leadership of oneself in life. Leadership involves leading oneself to make good decisions and to display consistent, considerate behaviour that generates respect and trust. Leadership involves leading a life where integrity and honesty with oneself and others is prioritised.
Every boy has leadership potential if given an encouraging, warm and supportive environment to draw out their unique qualities and strengths.
Our Philosophy FOR SOCIETY
Currently in society, there is an unbalanced focus on the treatment of mental health and social problems and minimal focus on prevention.
The philosophy of the LONGFORD & FRASER curriculum is about prevention – building the coping skills of our young people early through rigorous and engaging curriculum.
Mental health issues amongst our young children, tweens and teenagers are on the rise. Society’s focus on consumption, immediate gratification and celebrity leads our young people to judge themselves on external references: in particular – their possessions, body image, clothing, popularity, looks, how they compare to celebrities and what other people think. Such focus on external references as measures of self-worth can lead to loss of control, depression, anxiety and an overriding sense of hopelessness and helplessness.
We need to shift the focus back to what is already inside the young person. We need to prioritise and value internal references of worth including a child’s moral code, a backbone, integrity, courage, self-respect and the ability to positively relate to others both socially and emotionally. Together this is known as good character.
These internal references are within our control.
When we are in control we can prevent and overcome depression and anxiety; we feel empowered and confident to handle whatever life throws our way.
It would be a tremendous outcome for society if popularity was determined by a child’s standards of decency, their manners, self-respect, the standards of their behaviour, the quality of their thoughts and their contribution to society. By valuing each other based on these parameters then everyone is on a level playing field; everyone has the opportunity to be a success.
We would like to hear far fewer stories about “troubled teens” and many more stories about empowered, confident teens making a difference and leading this country to a decent, harmonious, tolerant and prosperous future.
The young boys of today are going to be the husbands, partners, fathers, managers and leaders of tomorrow. We owe it to the whole of society to do everything in our power to equip our boys today with the emotional and social skills to excel, inspire and become the confident, self-disciplined young gentlemen and leaders of tomorrow.