Our Aperture: Meaning of Life in Adolescents
Assistant head of school for academic affairs ponders the role of moral identity in the lives of adolescents.
What role does moral identity play in the lives of adolescents? Is there a presence of meaning in the arc of a student’s time in school? And, if so, how are we cultivating positive youth development in the backdrop of a transitional period that our nation currently finds itself?
Whether one agrees or disagrees with the current climate of our nation, I beg that we agree upon the principle that we must adjust our aperture and focus on our adolescents.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with the current climate of our nation, I beg that we agree upon the principle that we must adjust our aperture and focus on our adolescents.
In 2006, Steger, Frazier and Kaler defined the meaning of life as “the sense made of, and significance felt regarding, the nature of one’s being and existence”1 and reported that this is one of the most central tenets contributing to human beings flourishing. Given we are in the industry of preparing students for their own transitional period between adolescence and adulthood, it seems incumbent that we, too, focus on moral development as it is greatly tied to wellness or eudaimonic, the concept of well-being/purpose.
One may recall that Aristotle can be quoted stating happiness is found by leading a virtuous life. Thus, if leading a virtuous life helps direct the moral compass, how do we as a community influence this over the arc of an adolescents’ time in both the home and the classroom?
The development of moral identity, similar to the development of the meaning of life, has been associated with a variety of positive youth development indicators.2 Our focus on well-being and how to create a pre-K–12 wellness framework is at the forefront of our school.
As a teaching and learning community, we ask our educators to be prepared to teach the academics but also tend to the whole child. This is a big task to ask, and because of this, we are developing a framework that trains our entire community, including our most precious constituent, the students.
At La Jolla Country Day School, we are in the development stages of creating climate surveys to assess the well-being of our community. We are also partnering with trained professionals at the University of California San Diego, Rady Children’s Hospital, Sandy Hook Promise, and Choose Love, all of whom espouse the same values of creating a rich yet developmentally appropriate teaching and learning environment for our students’ sense of well-being. Our focus will be on promotion, prevention and early interventions.
As a teaching and learning community, we recognize that school plays a significant role in shaping a child’s social, emotional and cognitive development. Our goal is to adjust the lens, so we can see both the academic landscape but also how we can build a community of meaning and purpose, so in turn, we help shape students who feel a sense of autonomy, competence and relatedness.
As a teaching and learning community, we ask our educators to be prepared to teach the academics but also tend to the whole child. This is a big task to ask, and because of this, we are developing a framework that trains our entire community, including our most precious constituent, the students.
At La Jolla Country Day School, we are in the development stages of creating climate surveys to assess the well-being of our community. We are also partnering with trained professionals at the University of California San Diego, Rady Children’s Hospital, Sandy Hook Promise, and Choose Love, all of whom espouse the same values of creating a rich yet developmentally appropriate teaching and learning environment for our students’ sense of well-being. Our focus will be on promotion, prevention and early interventions.
As a teaching and learning community, we recognize that school plays a significant role in shaping a child’s social, emotional and cognitive development. Our goal is to adjust the lens, so we can see both the academic landscape but also how we can build a community of meaning and purpose, so in turn, we help shape students who feel a sense of autonomy, competence and relatedness.
The studies from the Meaning in Life Questionnaire3 speak to a presence of meaning or purpose that highly correlate with having a greater self-esteem, a greater satisfaction with life, being more optimistic and making good decisions, e.g., avoiding risky ones. Using this study as our baseline, we ask ourselves, “How can we foster an environment that promotes these non-cognitive tenets?”
As a community, LJCDS is committed to the work of positioning adolescents with tools and resources, so they embody a sense of purpose, direction and focus in life that benefits others, rather than just the self.
As a community, LJCDS is committed to the work of positioning adolescents with tools and resources, so they embody a sense of purpose, direction and focus in life that benefits others, rather than just the self.
1Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S. & Kaler M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 80-93. doi: 10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80
2Han, H., Liauw, I., Kuntz A.F. (2018). Moral Identity Predicts the Development of Presence of Meaning During Emerging Adulthood. Study of Emerging Adulthood and Sage Publishing, 2. doi:10.1177/2167696818758735
3MLQ: Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006.
