BUILDING THE FUTURE WITH HAPPINESS:

A PARTNERSHIP IN DISCOVERY

“Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human
existence”. (Aristotle)
All human beings aspire to be happy. Indeed, all human endeavors, starting from
birth and throughout life, are pursued to this end, and require for happiness to be
embedded within them. The schooling experience is perhaps the most influential of these
endeavours in terms of shaping the course of our lives. Schools that can promote
happiness, are key to ensuring better well-being, health, and achievement as well as
success in future life and work. Promoting learner happiness and well-being in schools
does not imply that learning be made easier or require less effort, but rather, that
such approaches could help fuel a genuine love of learning in and of itself.
Making school an enjoyable place to inhabit and learning a fun thing to do should
be a goal to which all of us could be dedicated. These words encompasses the Happy
Schools Movement of the Department of Education wherein the learners’ full potential is
given the greatest attention by creating a happier and more positive school culture. The
movement aims to inculcate in the minds of pupils that school is not just a place for
learning but also a place for fun and enjoyment as they enjoy what they are doing.
The quest for better quality of life for the country and for the next generations to
come is not an easy task but it is POSSIBLE. This is why the Mariano Marcos Memorial
Elementary School continue to create a learning environment with disciplined, value-
laden, and motivated learning communities of holistically developed learners with 21st
Century skills. MMMES continue to dream, believe and survive. And yes, great things
start with hopes and dreams. It is important then to note that our forefathers dreamed to
have a school that will cater Bataqueños with fruitful knowledge and enhanced skills
towards excellence. The welfare of the learners is primarily and always the concern of the
school guided with four pillars such as responsive school leadership, relevant classroom
instruction, conducive and healthy learning environment, and good governance. Indeed,
happiness and school quality are inseparable as the happy schools framework serves as
reference for measuring the quality of our education. MMMES continue to shift away
from traditional measures and to instead embrace a diversity of talents and
intelligences by recognizing values, strengths and competencies that contribute to
enhancing happiness. Or in other words, let us ’measure what we treasure’: ‘If you
treasure it, measure it. If schools do not measure the well-being of their children but do
measure their intellectual development, the latter will always take precedence’
(Layard and Hagell, 2015).
All children are entitled to be happy and enjoy their life in school, whether through
a genuine love of learning, through building positive friendships and relationships, or
through feeling a sense of belonging in the community and wider society. Moreover, we
need all learners to be happy in order for future generations to contribute to a more
peaceful and prosperous world. This is what happy schools is all about.