Is Struggle a Good Thing?

By Lauren Quinn, Co-Founder & Head of School

“Our children deserve honest struggle which builds deep, strong roots.” – Laura Sandefer

Is struggle a good thing?

It certainly doesn’t feel good. Watching our children struggle is one of the hardest parts of being a parent. It makes my skin itch and my heart beat a little faster. It is the epitome of discomfort. In no way, shape or form does it come naturally to me.

Embracing struggle is part of the journey at The Village School. It’s in our ethos. We allow our learners to struggle because they deserve it.

They deserve the experience of losing a game, navigating tricky relationships, missing a deadline, and feeling uncomfortable, unprepared, or unsure at times.

As an educator, and especially as a mother, being a witness to a child in the midst of struggle is heart-wrenching. It’s in our DNA as humans to try and avoid pain after all.

But, without it- there is no transformation. Without honest struggle, we take away the opportunity for our children to build deep, strong roots.

So, is struggle a good thing? Yes, it is- even though it doesn’t feel good.

Because the other side of struggle- that place where we stand after losing, failing, procrastinating, forgiving, apologizing, accepting, etc.- this is the place our children must be allowed to get to, again and again, if we really want to see them soar.