Well-being as Freedom: Future Directions in Well-Being

Abstract

In this chapter we outline a vision to include well-being as part of a national agenda for education in the same way we teach numeracy and literacy. We argue that that quality of teaching is a critical driver and that this could be achieved through pre-service teacher training. We highlight a re-alignment in professional development, leadership and for entrance models to evolve schools from welfare to evidence-based wellbeing approaches, interventions and programs from positive psychology that have an impact on student well-being. enabling educators to teach the whole child. We argue that teachers should be taught the skills for personal well-being so that they are able to flourish before they try to help students achieve this goal. We argue a case for urgency in our national agenda to ensure that all students understand methods to be able to manage their well-being in the same way that they are able to read, write and understand arithmetic. As educational policy is considered in context of the World Health Organisation’s predictions about the trajectory of metal health we must act, and evidence-based approaches to educational systems and policies should be considered. Well-being of students and staff should become an objective of schools.