Mr Fritz-Schubert, how do children find their strengths?

Ernst Fritz-Schubert's home and his non-profit institute for strengthening personality and well-being are located in a house over 100 years old on Philosophenweg in Heidelberg. The interview takes place in the living room. A cosy room with old, antique furniture and a wonderful view of the romantic garden. When Ernst Fritz-Schubert speaks and explains, he does so with enthusiasm and with shining eyes.
They say that children who can take care of their well-being are better protected from mental health problems.
Yes - and this is about long-term well-being, i.e. satisfaction. Three topics are central to this: How can I achieve good feelings? How do I develop commitment? And how do I manage to have fulfilling relationships? It is particularly important to believe in yourself, in your own uniqueness and in the fact that you have strengths. In order to recognise these, we need people around us who give us positive feedback, mirror us and appreciate us.
And what happens to the children who hardly ever realise what their strengths are and who know little about their needs?
These are often the children who have to adapt and go with the flow. Or they may display aggressive behaviour in order to supposedly feel strong, or become depressed. And because they don't know their strengths, they don't really like themselves either. Many children know more about their weaknesses than their strengths. They are always looking for faults and failures - and not for our treasures! But we have to know our treasures, use them and learn to deal with them. If I can do something well, I feel good about it.

«In order to be able to suffer yourself, you should know your strengths.»

So the most important question is: Who am I? How do I find out?
Ernst Fritz-Schubert gets up from his chair and fetches a ball and a thick red thread from his study. He throws the ball to the journalist with the remark: "In your hands, this will now become a ball of strength! So tell me spontaneously what you are good at and throw the ball back to me! Ernst Fritz-Schubert and the journalist begin to throw the ball to each other and take it in turns to name their strengths. Now he gives the journalist the red thread and asks her to imagine three events that have been important to you in your life so far. For one event, think about the strengths you have gained from it and how you were able to overcome it! The journalist gets involved in the exercise and talks about herself and an event that was of particular importance to her. Ernst Fritz-Schubert then summarises: 'With the help of your memory, you have activated strengths and powers that are within you - and that you can use for many other things. These short exercises show how children can also find out what their strengths are, what belongs to them and what makes them special. Because when I know who I am and what my potential is, I find my place in this world. That is a very satisfying feeling.
What strength have you had since you were a child?
I've been riding a racing bike since I was a teenager. Today I'm 67 and I still do - and it's incredible fun for me to ride down the mountain or to keep up with others who are perhaps younger than me. Even as a teenager, I felt really good when I was able to train on my racing bike. And I practised strengths such as perseverance and endurance, which have also become useful to me in other areas. So if we know how to activate our strengths, we do well. Unfortunately, this often doesn't happen enough at school, the place where children spend countless hours of their lives.
What do you mean by that?
Many children are extremely motivated to learn by the time they start school, fall down hundreds of times and get up again to practise walking, for example. But then they start school, and this intrinsically motivated learning increasingly falls by the wayside. For many children, the best thing about school is the breaks and holidays. There is a saying: the teacher lays out an artificial trail and the pupils pretend to follow it. At school, children are determined by others, they are graded, they are really functionalised. They don't create things themselves, they don't develop a belief in their own abilities. Being successful at school means paying attention, taking notes, reproducing, not contradicting the teacher too often - in other words, becoming more or less streamlined.

How do you think learning would be more meaningful?
The best way for children and young people to learn, for example, would be to teach themselves, i.e. to pass on what they have learnt to others. And if I can also apply what I have learnt, this also motivates me. For example, learning a foreign language could be done together with other young people who speak that language. Learning needs to be related to everyday life, to practice. And above all, it is also the teacher's job to find out with the children what they are good at. The relationship with the teacher is of central importance here. For example, if the teacher says: maths is important, you can trust me - and if they really radiate and live this conviction, then the pupils identify with them and the content they are taught and learning can work. Of course, the teacher also has to explain to the children what maths is useful for. He transfers his enthusiasm to the pupils, and this is how echo and resonance take place. However, this requires the teacher to engage in this development process with their pupils.

«Learning can be happy when teachers really get involved with the children.»

How does he do this?
By the teacher also practising self-education and recognising his strengths. And there needs to be a relationship between teacher and pupil that is based on honesty and openness. This also makes it possible for the teacher to be genuine, perhaps to stand in front of the class in the morning and say that they are not feeling particularly well today because they got a bus on the way there. He can do this because he doesn't have to hide how he feels from the pupils. And then perhaps he invites the children to come up with ideas to make the lesson a success after all, in the sense of: Come up with something to lift my spirits ...!
Children should learn all these basic things you are talking about in the school subject «Happiness», which you have initiated. How does that happen?
The children learn who they are and what they can and need in order to realise their strengths. This personality development process takes place in six stages. First, the pupils get to know their strengths. Then we look at what dreams the children have. And they learn to decide, plan and realise them. And reflection - in-depth thinking - is always very important. Those who are able to do this will also benefit from it for many other things in life.
The school subject «happiness» is offered as a separate teaching unit?
If a teacher also wants to incorporate this basic content into maths or language lessons, all the better! For example, if the teacher says to their pupils: "We want to achieve a certain learning goal together and we are now going to think about what strengths we all have, how we can deal with them and thus achieve our goal. He can then explore the questions with the pupils: How do we recognise that we are making progress? How do we learn to concentrate and motivate ourselves? And when we reach our limits: How do we overcome them? What resources can we activate?

That sounds challenging ...
Above all, it requires an openness to engage in this relationship-orientated learning process. Let me give you an example: I am a sports psychology consultant for the youth development programme of a Bundesliga football club. We once had an intensive discussion with a player from one of the teams - a striker - and it's fair to say that this youngster was rather self-centred from his position. It turned out that this young man felt the need to be better accepted in the team, i.e. to become more social. The others in the team were sceptical at first: would their colleague really be able to engage more with the group? We started to work on his strengths, which could be helpful in achieving this goal. And that's how we discovered his sense of humour. The young striker had the ability to laugh at himself - and this made him likeable. By focussing more on this strength, his self-irony, he not only got to know himself better, but also learned how to use his strengths.
So did the implementation work?
Yes, four weeks later, the enthusiasm for the change that had taken place was palpable throughout the team. The previously rather self-centred striker had become much more social! Such progress can only happen if there is openness and it is also possible to express one's own needs, so there is no need to be ashamed of them.
Do children and young people, or at best entire school classes, change after being taught «happiness»?
Statements on the self-assessment of pupils who attended the school subject «Happiness» include: «I now know more precisely what I want and what I don't want.» Or: «I would never have thought that we have so many nice classmates in our class.» Teachers also report more self-confident and committed pupils. The evaluations carried out confirm these impressions. An increase in self-efficacy, self-confidence and a greater and more stable sense of self-worth have been empirically established. These are all important prerequisites for mental health and strong personalities.
Self-knowledge makes you happy?
Yes, but recognising alone is not enough; you also have to live, implement and practise the findings. This includes being mindful of yourself and others.
Are you happy?
For me, happiness is not a final state, but rather a process. Being happy all the time would get boring over time. I am happy that I can enjoy life with people I like. And I am prepared to face challenges that allow me to grow

About the person:

Ernst Fritz-Schubert studied law, economics and is a former headmaster. In 2007, he and experts introduced the school subject of happiness in Germany, which is being taught in Switzerland as a pilot project at Theresianum Ingenbohl SZ. He is married and the father of two grown-up children.

The Fritz Schubert Institute

In 2009, Ernst Fritz-Schubert founded the Institute for Personal Development of the same name, which he has managed on a voluntary basis ever since. Its aim is to strengthen people's self-education and sustainable well-being. The latest findings from learning research are combined with proven educational experience. www.fritz-schubert-institut.de

Book tips:

• Ernst Fritz-Schubert: Happiness can be learnt. What makes children strong for life. Ullstein, paperback. Fr. 12.90
• Ernst Fritz-Schubert, Wolf-Thorsten Saalfrank, Malte Leyhausen: Praxisbuch Schulfach Glück. Basics and methods. Beltz. Fr. 39.90 (to be published on 14 September)