‘Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel’- Socrates
Our personalities are moulded by valuable lessons that we learn from various educators. These include parents, formal teachers at school, skill teachers who teach music, sports, as well as peers and even students. But the roles of parenting, educating and mentoring generally come into two types.
Many see the role as one that moulds the personality, akin to a potter shaping a lump of clay into a magnificent creation. However, each child is a living being with infinite potential and is a future tree waiting to grow and bloom. Hence effective educators choose to be gardeners to the seed of potential that lies in the learner.
While the potter breathes life into dead clay, the gardener has to take care about not stifling the very life of the seed. In their professions, the potter and the gardener assume appropriate roles. However in educating, gardener’s approach can shape a personality and script a destiny, potter’s path can result in tragedy or cause a mutiny.
However, the role of a gardener is not as easy as it looks. It requires us to be better at tolerance, facilitation, allowing space and empowering the learner’s right to make a choice. William Arthur Ward said it so well: that ‘a mediocre teacher tells, a good teacher explains, a superior teacher demonstrates and a great teacher inspires!’
Heed the need of the worthy role of educating
The learner is a seed nurtured
like gardening!
- Pravin K Sabnis
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