Schools have been on a path for many years pursuing an explicit focus on student well-being (Productivity Commission, 2022/3) parallel to academic pursuits. The intent of this is very good – to focus on student well-being in the hope that it provides benefit to developing the whole person. Yet we all know the statistics and the talk – teenagers are struggling, there’s a tsunami of anxiety, depression, self-harming behaviour. Young people are becoming known for being the generation that feels there is no future and no hope.

Rationally then parents look around for other answers to the challenges of contemporary society. In this context, Classical Education in the Liberal Arts tradition (CE) may provide the most beneficial framework to equip children for knowing who they are and creating the conditions for them to flourish as humans.

Whilst the benefits of CE in terms of academic success or virtue formation are often the most well-known, broader benefits related to wellbeing or human flourishing are of critical importance today also. Through my dual pursuits of psychology and Classical Education, I have become increasingly fascinated with the mechanisms by which CE embeds wellbeing principles in its approaches to learning.

As teachers and parents know, education is often subject to new trends from ‘evidence-based’ research. However, much of what is touted as new research findings in the wellbeing space are identifiable as tried and true principles, removed from their historical context and repackaged for the contemporary setting. Classical education, through its content, philosophy and practices is, by design, equipped with tools that cultivate the wellbeing and resilience needed to face the challenges of modern society. Furthermore, as the goal of pursuing that which is Beautiful, True and Good are central to CE, parents of children in Classical Liberal Arts schools can be assured that the best understandings and pursuits of human endeavour are being imparted and modelled to their children.

Five domains of Well-being and Classical Education:

Five domains are usually considered in measures of wellbeing. They include positive emotion, engagement (or flow), positive relationships, meaning and purpose, and accomplishment (or mastery) (Seligman, 2002).

Although the idea of wellbeing does not mean that we are always happy, positive emotions are important and beneficial to the successful function and navigation of life’s challenges. Positive emotions such as joy, contentment and happiness are cultivated in classical education via a couple of mechanisms. Firstly, content of literature in the classical classroom often emphasises the importance of wonder, imagination and awe. As students engage in the richness of classical literature, stories, music, art and philosophy, they experience uplifting wonder and awe, imagination and excitement as well as a deep appreciation for the human experience. Secondly, the teaching of the great books and in particular the chronological teaching of history grounds students in a strong sense of identity and belonging in the story of the world. This in turn cultivates positive emotions around self-concept rather than a confusion and disorientation that comes with fragmented teaching of history. Thirdly, an education in virtue, logic and rhetoric provides students with explicit examples of healthy habits of heart, mind, and expression. Critical thinking skills embedded in these disciplines are essential tools to combat negative patterns of thought and belief that are often the source of symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Engagement refers to the experience of being fully absorbed in a ‘flow state’ such as athletes, musicians, and artists may experience. It is argued that engagement is essential for achieving a sense of purpose and mastery in life. It is a precursor to attention and memory retention - two concepts that are increasingly elusive in our often distracted and tech-driven lives. Classical education facilitates engagement through fostering a love of learning and intellectual curiosity. Through the principle of multum non multa (much not many), students have the opportunity to rest deeply in their learning which is required to truly engage. Classical schools will emphasise fine arts and athletics which provide embodied opportunities for flow.

Positive relationships and social connections are also crucial for human flourishing. The fostering of strong, respectful and meaningful relationships within family, friends and school community members is central to the Classical Education approach. A sense of community and shared values promoted through the integrated study of great books and philosophers, and theology, provides models of how and why the health of society is contingent upon good quality relationships. The use of Socratic method acts to develop a culture of deep discussion, interpersonal communication and relationship connections that were considered so fundamental to cultivating a healthy society by the ancients.

Increasingly, the loss of meaning and purpose in society is cited as the source of poor mental health symptoms. Research in human flourishing has demonstrated, and it is no surprise to proponents of Classical Education, that a sense of meaning is essential for achieving a sense of fulfillment and wellbeing. Classical Education contributes to the development of meaning and purpose by exploring theological and philosophical ideas as they have been discussed throughout the history of Western civilisation. Through interacting with and understanding the past, students realise that they too have a part to play in the Grand Narrative, the great story of humanity and to find their own place within it. They also realise that as the people of the past have led to now, so too they have a life to live to become future ancestors.

The final domain of wellbeing is accomplishment, or mastery, and refers to the experience of setting and achieving goals that are important to a person’s sense of satisfaction and fulfilment in life. Classical Education provides students with repeated opportunities to engage with challenging and meaningful goals. Through imitation, repetition and critical thinking, students are given the time and skills to master complex and difficult concepts. The mastery approach means that students are not always harried through a crowded curriculum, unsure and insecure in partially learnt skills but take time to obtain mastery in the one thing before moving to the next. Often understood as the ‘master-apprentice’ model of learning, students of classical education can benefit greatly and achieve at higher levels through more personalised learning. Once mastery is experienced in one area of life, students are able to extrapolate this insight and seek accomplishment in other areas also.

Concepts such as the development of emotional intelligence, empathy and social awareness championed by influential authors of progressive education, again are simply rediscovering that which is implicitly embedded within the tradition of the Liberal Arts in Classical Education. For those lucky enough to learn within the Classical Liberal Arts education framework, who stand on the shoulders of giants, well-being is not an extra lesson with mental health experts or a new multimillion dollar unit rolling out programs, but the natural end of an intentional and integrated view of the human person and the purpose of education. Not an illusory add-on, but core business.

Sarah Flynn is a psychologist, teacher, Founder of Logos Australia and Editor of Educere, the Journal of Classical Education Australia.