“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel” – Socrates
The word ‘Education’ is generally perceived as understanding of 3 R’s – Reading, Writing and Arithmetic which means training the mind and brain to perform necessary steps, passing down of knowledge and information to become good at a particular subject or area of study to score good marks. However, a deeper meaning is attached to it.’
In the words of William Deresiewicz, “The true purpose of education is to make minds and not careers.” Education is not about getting ready to be into a better job, earning well, qualifying exams, getting some degrees, marks and certificates but it’s a journey of self-realisation by an individual of his innate potential, capabilities and power, It’s a tool to achieve holistic development of an individual.
Education not only means the training of head but also of heart and hands, When the head is trained, the individual gets the skills to understand few terms and concepts, solve problems and develop reading and writing skills but all that don’t suffice. Though these skills are very important in day to day affairs but they don’t fit in the actual framework of education.
It is equally important to be compassionate, caring and loving human beings who respect relationships not only with oneself and others but also with our mother nature and our surroundings. In spite of being good with knowledge domain, it is equally important to be respectful towards everyone around us, react sensibly and have a positive mind set always. Bob Talber said “Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is the best.”
One more aspect of a true education system is training hands to create something innovative and constructive to be self-reliant, independent and responsible citizens. People should be educated to use their hands to make them use their hand skills and get involved in various forms of arts like painting, sowing seeds, pottery, carpentry, baking, cooking, drawing etc. Real education is about genuine understanding and ability to appreciate. Art helps children see connections, develop creativity, appreciate themselves and their surroundings and turn into responsible and mature individuals.
The whole motive of an education system is to turn mirrors into windows so that a child can realise who he is, what his potential is and decide his future path on his own. True education is when schools and teachers help students by providing the right kind of environment to help children blossom in their own unique ways and to work in close harmony with nature, giving them opportunities to be creative, imaginative and inquisitive to learn. They should be involved in some projects where they can think, brain storm, critically analyse situations and problems, explore, do some hands on activities and experimentation and learn on their own.
The role of teachers become vital here because it would be more challenging and demanding to achieve the learning targets and deepen understanding while catering to the needs of all the learners in a safe and encouraging environment. The children should be loved and cared for what they are and not be forced to become or behave like anyone. In words of Galileo Galilei, “You can’t teach anybody anything, only make them realise the answers are already inside them”
As no one teaches a flower to bloom, no one preaches a seed to grow into a plant and no one asks a plant to produce food, in fact, they grow and develop on their own. It’s possible only when right kind of an environment, adequate amount of manure and water, self-less care and love and enough sunlight is provided by the gardener to help them grow and that’s what is the purpose and role of an educator. If a flower doesn’t bloom, we fix the environment not the flower. Similarly, if the goals and objectives of education are not met, we need to change the teaching learning environment. We need to train teachers to act like self-less gardeners to help meet the long term goals of education, not impose anything from outside and help children grow and learn. Children must be taught how to think, not what to think, said Margaret Mead.
To create an environment where all flowers (children) can bloom and flourish, it’s important that we change our mind-set and move out of typical grading system. The system has to believe that all children are blessed with their unique potential and talent and they are just the orchid keepers who can provide the right kind of an environment where there is no fear of being assessed and judged, where there is no ranking, where students are free to choose their line of interest, where students can learn while playing and there is no pressure of running a race and winning. A school should be a place where kids love to come to learn and look forward to each day with a smile and go back each day with a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.
It’s not easy to change curriculum and policies in a day or two but we can start by doing something innovative and creative from our end which helps young minds think creatively and constructively. We can help solve them riddles and puzzles, involve them in hands on activities, create a happy environment around them to grow and be always there to support them in time of need. It’s also imperial to have a collaborative approach towards different subjects instead of treating them as different compartments and have a holistic approach towards meeting learning targets and goals.
At last, I would like to conclude that education is not learning of facts, figures, formulae and data and later assessing to rank children on the basis of how much did they learn and score but its far beyond that. It’s the training of mind to observe, think, explore, analyse and interpret. It’s a necessary skill. It’s a way of living. It’s a key to a far better world which when used effectively can transform our lives. In words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. “
Eventually, it is for us, as an individual, to analyse and interpret what ‘true education’ means to us and then trod on the path of success, which again is unique to us.
Happy Schooling 