Jawaharlal Nehuru sitting with his daughter Indira and niece Chanderlekha Pandit at Anand Bhawan, Allahabad, 1925. Courtesy JMMI, New Delhi Letters from a Father to His Daughter Introduction Aspiration is the hallmark of a good pupil. Through the kindling of aspiration the flame of knowledge begins to burn in his mind and heart. The teacher's role is to uplift the aspiration of the pupil and to answer it not so much by instruction as by suggestion, example and influence. A good teacher is a guide, philosopher and friend who does not impose himself on the pupil, but communes with him in intimate understanding

Left: Ramakrishna Right : Vivekananda (Photo taken on December 10, 1881 ) An Illumined Teacher and a Brilliant Pupil Introduction A question is sometimes raised as to whether the scholastic education imparted in schools and colleges is really necessary to prepare individuals to attain maturity and fulfilment. There are a number of cases of unlettered men and women who have achieved greatness and left their impact on posterity. Sri Ramakrishna is one such shining example in the domain of spiritual realization and mastery. If one can ' achieve such great heights as he did without what

Maria Montessori Discovery of the Child Introduction When, at the age of fourteen, Maria Montessori was advised by her parents to become a teacher (it was practically the only career open to women at that time) her reaction was categorical: anything but that! Yet she was to become one of the most celebrated educators of all time. Her name came to be associated with a new method of teaching which has gained a world-wide following. Maria first thought of becoming an engineer because of her deep interest in mathematics, but finally decided to study medicine. That was easier said than done, for in the Italy of those days only men atte

Jonathan Livingston Seagull Introduction You need to keep finding yourself, a little more each day, that real, unlimited Fletcher Seagull. He's your instructor. You need to understand him and to practise him.1 A great secret of learning is expressed in these words spoken by Jonathan Livingston Seagull to his pupil, Fletcher Seagull. It is a universal dictum, for almost every profound and meaningful tradition, be it of East or West, form itself around this basic question: "Who am I?" Answering this question is the very object of education. It is this simple but essential quest that forms the essence of Jonathan Livingston Seagull,

Premchand My Elder Brother Introduction Premchand, the famous Hindi writer, always brings home his message by his penetrating accounts of situations and his authentic delineation of characters. In the story that follows, Premchand gives a simple example of our book-oriented and examination-oriented educational system by portraying the interaction of two brothers. The story is told with an abundance of wit, yet contains a serious denunciation of the way in which children in our schools are stifled, how they are denied the real joy of learning and of combining work and play. The elder brother is a victim of the examination system, and cons

Instruction and New Awareness Introduction Instruction is generally considered to be one of the teacher's most important tasks and verbal communication is its usual mode. The good teacher cultivates verbal communication to high degrees of subtlety and complexity. His power of ideation is so refined that words flow from him effortlessly, communicating difficult ideas with precision and expressiveness. Striking phrases formulated in inspired moments illumine the minds of pupils with ease and joy. He can expound the same idea in several different ways to suit the preparedness and intelligence of his pupils. A good teacher is a sponta

Hermann Hesse Magister Ludi Introduction In Hermann Hesse's novel Magister Ludi, set in Europe in an unspecified future, we encounter an imaginary elite educational institution called Castalia, a community devoted to the mind, whose carefully selected members are given a unique opportunity to develop their diverse creative and intellectual capacities. Every facility imaginable is placed at the disposal of the budding Castalians, who are protected from all worldly pressures and assured a basic allotment of food, clothing, and shelter. In return for this they sacrifice all desire for material rewards and fame. In Castalia there are no titles or

Paulo Freire, courtesy Paulo Freire Institute Critique of the Teacher- Student Relationship in the "Banking" Concept of Education Introduction At the very least, education implies change. At its highest, education implies rapid evolution, revolution or transmutation. The greater the perception of present inadequacies and imperfections, the greater the spur for radical change or transmutation. The stage through which we are passing in human history is marked by crises in which the perception of human inadequacies becomes increasingly acute. We are dissatisfied with ourselves, both individually and co

The Mother To Parents Teachers and Pupils Introduction The Mother was born in Paris on February 21, 1878, in a very materialistic, upper middle class family. She completed a thorough education of music, painting and higher mathematics. A student of the French painter Gustave Moreau, she befriended the great Impressionist artists of the time. She later became acquainted Page-510 with Max Theon, an enigmatic character with extraordinary occult powers who, for the first time, gave her a coherent explanation of the spontaneous experiences' occurring since her childhood, and who taught her occultism during two long visits

-19_The Parrot^s Training.htm Rabindranath Tagore. Drawing by Satyajjt Roy The Parrot's Training Introduction This unusual story drives home its message by a kind of literary reductio ad absurdum. It is a satire, full of wit and sarcasm, and can be regarded as a preface to a revolution in education. Rabindranath Tagore dreamed of creating a garden of learning where children would command the centre of attention. During his own school days he had experienced the deadening effects of the formal system of education, and his soul had rebelled against its imprisonment within school walls. He ultimately rejected the school and educated himself, and he discovered a teach