R.I.P Education Anthem - A song about schooling

I've been trying to compose a song and make a movie on education for long. Music and Movies are a great way of communication and change. While I continue to work on it, here is an amateur attempt of composing a song about schooling. Excuse me for my singing abilities and some mistakes in strumming but I hope you can see the message I want to convey.

 

Foundation of True Education : Total Acceptance and Right Questioning

One of the Zen master once told me – what does he mean by love and it stayed with me ever since. I’ve not received a better definition of love. He said, to love is to accept the others totally – as they are without expecting, wanting any changes in them. To love is to say Yes to who or what other is. When we wish to be loved, all we are seeking is acceptance of who we are without judgements.

Our schooling system is full of judgements and rejections of what one is. From the day 1 in schools, we teach kids to see themselves as “imperfect minds” that needs perfection. They are constantly reminded about it. They are not accepted as they are and the entire school community along with parents tries hard to change them. This in short is called “Educating them”. Do’s , Don’ts, Shoulds, Shouldn’t, rules, behaviour corrections, moral conducts are some of the weapons of rejections.

[caption id="attachment_378" align="alignright" width="300"] Total Acceptance is what we all seek[/caption]

No real education can take place unless, in first place we accept the kids as they are and help them accept themselves as they are. Only then there is a possibility of understanding and transforming  (one that’s natural not enforced) . Total acceptance of both children and teachers in the school will create an environment of love and respect for each other and hence create a conducive land for learning and growth. Total acceptance does not means to be complacent, it means to look at things as they are without any judgement or guilt.

Second important thing that should be coupled with acceptance is what we can call “Right Questioning”. By “Right” here I do not mean moral or ethical right but more in terms of what Gautam Buddha spoke of. “Right Questioning” , implies asking questions intelligently and pursuing them diligently to reach to clarity. It is not cynicism but a constructive force. It is something related to what some people these days call “Appreciative Enquiry”.  However, we do not allow students to ask questions in classroom especially the difficult one whose answer is not in the books.

The children should be encouraged to ask questions about everything and anything and should be supported in the process of pursuing its exploration. (and not offer ready made answers)

When a child is accepted he gains positive self image and self esteem which empower his mental and emotional faculty. When a child is allowed and encouraged to question, she sharpens her intelligence and gets closer to reality. Both of these together will lay foundation for a life of meaning to grow in our students.

Alternative Education : A futile Hullabaloo ?

What good is any alternative education if the student eventually has no choice but to fit into the traditional system ? Today alternative schools from Montessori, Krisnamurti, Gandhian, Steiner to De Bono are appearing in decent number across India. A lot of traditional schools are claiming to offer alternative methods of education. However, what happens to these so called "alternatively schools" kids after they are out of school ? What is the whole point of taking the pain and creating the Hullabaloo of alternative education if eventually these alternatively schooled kid just succumb to the pressure of conventional way of living and learning ?

Precisely, that's what it seems to be happening these days. Infact in some cases, the alternatively schooled children are worse off.

If we need to really change education, we need to alter the entire ecosystem- social, economical, political. Educational Revolution is actually a revolution that encompasses all facets of life. Education alone CANNOT change !

If we are teaching kids to live and learn alternatively - we must also strive to provide avenues that allow them to take their search and ambitions forward. There is no point if they had to come back to the thorny path after a short stint on the rosy roads. We must unable them to believe that alternative schooling is not limited to schools but extended to life and its possible to live happily and comfortably without becoming part of the "conventional system".

Initiatives like "Gap Year College", "Swaraj University", "Jaaga" are some rays of hope in this direction. However, we must persist to broaden our range of offering.  Only then there will be true culmination of the alternative schooling. Only schools which provide alternatives to schooling will not be able to change much. We need alternative colleges, universities, learning centres, parks, communities, travels, groups, companies. Most importantly - an alternative world view and life style.