Aditi Mathur and Ratnesh Mathur
A mendicant stopped at a fishing village to beg for food. At the very first house that he stopped, he got an offer to take some leftover fish, but he declined.
At the second house, the owner offered to teach him how to fish. The mendicant listened to an inspiring lecture on how the joy of fishing for one’s own food was far above everything else, but he declined this offer too. At the third house, he was offered just a fishing rod and a smile.
We (as educators) are bombarded with articles which talk of a zillion different pedagogical approaches – each purportedly better than the other. Marketing people relentlessly knock at our door claiming breakthrough products, books, and methods which will make our children truly global.
We also have the Internet for free information, resources and support. Yet, running a school or educating a class has become more difficult than ever; simply because of the choices – each with its huge share of demand for time (and money). As an educator, one feels simply lost. Should I do this or that? What is best for my students?
As a principal, how do I mentor my teachers? As a teacher, how do I mentor my children? Many schools call us for training. The assumption is that we can be the catalyst to bring about a change magically.
But our contention is slightly different. We think that all of us and the whole of nature, do not, rather cannot, grow on the outside. We can only grow from the inside.
The authors are educators, trainers for teachers and parents. They belong to amable.in – an organisation out to empower learning, learners – teachers and children alike.