KINDNESS

This is an ambition. Every week, I rub shoulders with many parents, which is quite normal when you set up schools. All year round, I read dozens of books, treatises, methods, and other literature that relate to education in one way or another. I keep abreast of what's at stake in the curricula, and I have a vision of tomorrow's educational pillars that's as clear as it is modest. Like many others, I believe in high standards, taking the long view, and collective intelligence. I advocate experimentation and mistakes that help us grow. I'm campaigning for hours of philosophy at primary level and for history to be added to all classes. I'm arguing in favor of giving more space to the body, learning how it works, and putting it in motion. I'm aware that sustainable development needs to become a subject in its own right and that our classrooms need to evolve. Despite all this, I'm riddled with doubts, petrified when faced with bullying at school, and mortified when I listen to the academic suffering of certain children. So occasionally, when I'm feeling nauseous about the state of the world, I try to think about what I really want to pass on to my son and our pupils. What I'm really aiming for. Of course, I hope they have an excellent academic record, are good friends, feel the thrill of learning, and develop more skills than their elders. But more than anything, I want them to be kind. This is an absolute fundamental, a non-negotiable priority. If we valued kindness as much as we value good grades and the cult of performance, our society would not look the same. Kindness, the ability to consider others, generosity, and mutual aid are not just silly pitfalls; they are the foundations of success. Not the kind that crushes but the kind that offers access to serenity, confidence, and harmony. The kind that helps us build stronger, healthier systems. In the end, kindness makes everything possible because it protects us from the worst. I hope we know how to pass on what matters.

Marie Robert is an author and philosophy teacher. As the head of Montessori schools, she created @philosophyissexy to share her philosophical reflections daily.

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