There are still billions of poor people for whom the great knowledge pool that is available today is NOT available. These people must first be given food, housing, and an understanding of economy, while they are learning to fish, provide their own clean water, sewerage, fishing, farming, or division of labor for a more modern living. We have the technology and the wealth to empower all our human brothers and sisters. Clean water, sewerage systems, energy creation/management, and agriculture that we have in first world situations aren’t extant for billions.

Ultimately, miracles happen when people start learning how to breathe, and how to understand the natural processes of expansion and contraction. We’re all connected and how we help people is providing people with the opportunity to take advantage of knowledge; not everyone has the time, or ability to take advantage of the benefits we take for granted; they are too busy just trying to survive.

“The only real lesson is to learn how to learn…” Well said.

I do understand your view and concur with them as far as that the teacher must serve as the source of inspiration and burning the thought into young minds that learning is a self driven activity and that learning is a life long endeavor.

I feel passion for his work is not exclusive to teacher but applies to everyone whatever her calling is.

Besides teachers, parents and society (govt. and educational instituition included) must focus on ‘liberating’ the student from ‘ignorance’ by using learning as the tool. I agree we have not really focussed on this aspect as much as we should have done and chose the easy way out – stuffing the student with information.

In my personal attemps to ‘teach fishing than dole out a fish’ I have encountered pain, frustration, impatience, misgivings and ridicule more often than not. ( I am neither a teacher by vocaion nor a parent but Iin my work place as well as in family and friends circles I do try to profess and practice as much as I can this philosophy.

I am glad to have been engaged in this discussion and exchange views with you.

In the sense that what ideally they should market is the exitment for learning, and the only original way would be to set an example in being themselves everlasting learners.

Who we really are is the source of how the world around us really is, therefore the real responsability lies within the teacher to always find this passion inside of him, knowing that he is a position to affect generations.

But the world today have lost this views, parents rely on governments who rely on schools who rely on teachers who rely on students who rely on parents…

The only real lesson is to learn how to learn, but it implyes letting power go, letting standards go, letting hierarchy fall to pieces. Everybody in the circle apart from the student is not willing to let go, and that’s the real issue.

So again why should the teacher make the lesson entertaining and market learning well? Just because his generation have failed, he should be wise enough to give the best chance he can to the next one.

Sadok

I have heard reading about 20 yrs ago, somewhere (OMNI magazine, if memory serves me right) that Knowledge is not ‘taught’ but ‘caught’. Which means the emphasis is on on learning rather than teaching.

I fail to understand why it is for the teacher to make the lesson ‘entertaining” (Primary school excepted) and thus ‘market’ the content.

In ancient India the onus was on the student to learn and going by historical records India was a leading destination for learning and produced some brilliant minds.

The responsibility for effective education, IMO, must be shared by parents, teachers and students and facilitated by the design of institutions, methodologies, tools and funds.

And I’m guilty of it too. I don’t believe in 50 week/year wage slavery. I became a teacher not just because I want to help change the world to a better place but for the personal reason I wanted to have time to travel and continually learn, i.e., summer’s off. That meant June, July and August when I began teaching, and now it means part of June, all of July, and 1 week of August off. Still, it beats wage slavery. And the payoff in successful student outcomes is worth 1000x its weight in gold. We make a difference. But the problems are cultural and spiritual. Those who worship money or status just won’t get it. Ever.

The only person anyone can ever really change is themselves. When we change ourselves we change the world.

Namaste,
Dr Purple