Analysis Of To Teachers By Rabindranath Tagore

Understanding the nature of education brings into question not only what aspects of it characterize it for what it is, but also what it takes to optimize it. It is, in the end, a responsibility of the educator to set the educated on the right path to taking the responsibility upon himself to make the most of his education. In To Teachers, Rabindranath Tagore places a great importance on the learning that enthusiastically takes place in children as they explore their surroundings, noting how structure is detrimental to this state of mind. Hsun Tzu, in Encouraging Learning, on the other hand, shows how education is not marred by structure, but rather thrives in it when the individual takes it upon himself to be educated dutifully. While both …show more content…
With Tagore, it follows that if we are so willing to chase and absorb information at a young age, it is the focus and strain of structure and dedicated study that discourages us as we age. Of the manner in which students are taught, Tagore believes that “This tortures the child because it contradicts nature’s purpose, and nature, the greatest of all teachers, is thwarted at every step by the human teacher…” (42). Here, Tagore very clearly establishes that he holds nature as an educator to a very high esteem, but leaves in question the standing of other educators and forms of educating. It is reasonable then to consider what role human educators are to play in a child’s education if it has been deducted that the most effective and valuable form of learning that takes place in a child’s life is a private affair between the child and the world around …show more content…
The importance of Tagore’s described thirst for learning must initiate this educational path. Nature should undoubtedly be children’s first educator, but this must be facilitated by their human educators in the way that Feynman offered the students he observed a way to learn from the objects around them rather than strictly from textbooks. It is of utmost importance to foster curiosity at a young age so that children become engaged in learning, but they must also be carefully and gradually be introduced to the structure that will allow them to take their inquisition and interest to productive levels. A fusion of Tagore and Tzu’s views on education, first capturing interest strong enough to later endure the necessity of discipline, would idealize and produce the intuitive and active students that Feynman had hoped to encounter in his