JULIA PADGETT, DEPUTY PRINCIPAL
Fostering Conditions for Passion at Kilvington
> Fostering Harmonious Passion at Kilvington If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. Your passion will lead you right into your purpose. td jakes
After two years of restrictions, it’s fitting that our character trait for Semester 1 is ‘passion’. Some of us discovered new passions in lockdown – for me, it was baking sourdough bread! However, we also had to curtail passions which were dependent on us meeting with others or going to a specific location. Some of us were unable to temporarily engage with our passions.
Defining Harmonious Passion Robert Vallerand, Professor of Psychology at the University of Québec, defines passion this way: ‘passion is a strong inclination towards a self-defining activity that one likes (or even loves), finds important and devotes a significant amount of time and energy to’ (2008). Our passions make us happy. Once a passion takes hold, we become intrinsically motivated to pursue our line of interest. Applying time and effort is not as difficult because our felt sense of accomplishment and progress becomes a reward in and of itself. Vallerand says this type of passion is ‘harmonious’, because it’s positively related 18 Kilvington News
to life satisfaction (2008). Research tells us that people who have harmonious passions tend to be enjoyable to be around, probably because they experience positive emotions. They’re flexible with the way they engage with their passions and can therefore regulate their behaviour to the needs of the moment, including the needs of those around them.
Shreya Jain, School Co-Captain (Year 12) I’ve been at Kilvington since ELC! The School has helped me to discover my passion for learning, and throughout my time here, has also nurtured this passion. Curiosity has always been encouraged through our School programs, and demonstrated especially by our teachers. The collaborative learning opportunities at School have made me realise I enjoy seeing how I can help and support others in areas of work they may find challenging.
Our harmonious passions are important, not only for our overall health and wellbeing, but also for learning and development. To support passion in kids at School, we need to foster and create the conditions for passion to be developed. At Kilvington, we encourage kids to: • Be open-minded – consider all opportunities, even those they may not have an interest in. • Be enthusiastic – have a zest for new opportunities and embrace them. • Take risks – give new pursuits a go and try everything at least once. • Persevere – especially if a new pursuit becomes difficult. When students find their passion, the benefits include: • Increased concentration and ability to fully focus on the task at hand. • A sense of accomplishment by working through a task. • Connecting with others who share their passion. Throughout the semester, we want everyone to get involved by trying new pursuits or reconnecting with their passions.
To support students in developing their passions, we’ve created an extensive cocurricular timetable. Students have enjoyed participating in a wide range of co-curricular groups – from choirs, music, chess and languages to robotics, gardening, science, drama, writing and book clubs.
Encouraging Students to Develop their Passions In our ELC, each group has a passion tree. The leaves adorning the tree outline the passions of the ELC students, their parents and teachers. I was pleased to be able to add my leaf to the three-year-olds’ tree and look forward to hearing about their discussions. At our assemblies in the Junior and Senior Schools, students and teachers talk about what passion means to them and share a little about their own passions. One concept we explored was how passions can change over time. We also discussed the people in our lives who encourage, shape and inspire us to develop certain passions. We know that not every opportunity is going to lead to a passion, but we do hope that students take full advantage of what is on offer and try as much as they can to develop their passions throughout the year.
References Vallerand, R. J. (2008). On the psychology of passion: In search of what makes people’s lives most worth living. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 49(1), 1. W inter 2022
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