Discourses-----Day 28 November 23, 1941 The day had hardly dawned. Sri Sri Thakur was just awake and was sitting on his bedstead. Teachers of Tapovan were present. Someone asked, “Children do not feel the necessity of reading the books that are thrust on them in their student life ; they do not get any interest in them ?” Sri Sri Thakur : “If the education is imparted through work and play, this situation cannot arise. Perhaps you make a Railway Train with the boys and say, ‘I’ll give it a start. Just blow the whistle and wave the green flag.’ The boys will unconsciously learn a lot through this kind of play. They will acquire the knowledge of many things with zeal from books if they feel the need of knowing the process of making things. They will not have to struggle hard to remember them. They do not forget a word when they read novels, but they do not remember a single event in the Battle of Trafalgar. This problem disappears if it is presented to them in the right way. The teacher has to go on inventing various activities and games of novel type. There is a feeling of intoxication infused in the students then. Theoretical studies should follow only when one has a stand on the practical work. If the student is unsuccessful, the teacher is responsible. One has to find out the distinctive interest in each by watching him in his field work. One has to observe the type of activity and the type of story each one is interested in. ‘One of my students is not able to make progress.’ This means that I have not been able to enter through his done of interest.” Panchananda : “Does merit have no place then !” Sri Sri Thakur : “Merit—ferit and all else depends on the attachment of a student for mother and teacher. One has to create a furtherance of the original attachment. The headmaster may perhaps say, ‘What a love Panchananda has for you all ! How intimate he is with you ! What a light shines through his dark skin when he teaches ! I wonder how on earth he can do it. Is he a man or Angel ? I for one , an old man, have a fervent desire to sit with you on the same bench and have lessons from him. Your teacher does such a lot for you all. You should rather give him some thing before you eat.” To create an auto-initiative urge for giving is a matter of great importance. When the student comes to offer something to the teacher, the teacher can say, ‘As you have a desire to give me, so I have one to whom unless I give something my heart does not rest at ease. Come, let us go and give this to Thakur.’ He will perhaps say, ‘Keep something aside for yourself.’ And you the teacher reply, ‘No, let us go, My happiness lies in making the offering to him only. And we will give something to the headmaster also.’ What an urge will be created in the child ! His attention is immediately drawn to Thakur. The teachers should praise each other. They should be homely-intimate and loving in their attitude, but at the same time there should be an honourable distance. The greatest harm is done when someone goes to preach something which he does not carry out himself. The students thereby get a chance of making disrespectful criticism. The work is achieved if beneficial habit, behavior and eagerness are normally transmitted through your own bearing.”
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 05:28:30 +0000
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