On Educating Children

In preparing for a talk I'll be giving on the topic of education this weekend in Oakland, I came across this quote by Abdu'l-Bahá, which is an extract from one of his talks. I love its emphasis on the importance of learning beyond book-learning.

"Among these children many blessed souls will arise, if they be trained according to the Bahá’í Teachings. If a plant is carefully nurtured by a gardener, it will become good, and produce better fruit. These children must be given a good training from their earliest childhood. They must be given a systematic training which will further their development from day to day, in order that they may receive greater insight, so that their spiritual receptivity be broadened. Beginning in childhood they must receive instruction. They cannot be taught through books. Many elementary sciences must be made clear to them in the nursery; they must learn them in play, in amusement. Most ideas must be taught them through speech, not by book learning. One child must question the other concerning these things, and the other child must give the answer. In this way, they will make great progress. For example, mathematical problems must also be taught in the form of questions and answers. One of the children asks a question and the other must give the answer. Later on, the children will of their own accord speak with each other concerning these same subjects. The children who are at the head of the class must receive premiums. They must be encouraged and when any one of them shows good advancement, for the further development they must be praised and encouraged therein. Even so in Godlike affairs. Oral questions must be asked and the answers must be given orally. They must discuss with each other in this manner."
-Abdu'l-Bahá, “The Bahá’í World”, Vol. 9 (1940–1944) (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Committee, 1945), p. 543) [145]

Teddy's Thoughts on Education

Another passage from "Teddy" by J.D. Salinger (see previous post):

"What would you do if you could change the educational system?" [Nicholson] asked ambiguously. "Ever think about that at all?"
...
"Well...I'm not too sure what I'd do," Teddy said. " I know I'm pretty sure I wouldn't start with the things schools usually start with." He folded his arms, and reflected briefly. "I think I'd first just assemble all children together and show them how to meditate. I'd try to show them how to find out who they are, not just what their names are and things like that ... I guess, I even before that, I'd get them to empty out everything their parents and everybody ever told them. I mean even if their parents just told them an elephant's big, I'd make them empty that out. An elephant's only big when it's next to something else--a dog or a lady, for example." Teddy thought another moment. "I wouldn't even tell them an elephant has a trunk. I might show them an elephant, if I had one handy, but I'd let them just walk up to the elephant not knowing more about it than the elephant knew about them. The same thing with grass and other things. I wouldn't even tell them grass is green. Colors are only names. I mean if you tell them the grass is green, it makes them start expecting the grass to look a certain way--your way--instead of some other way that may be just as good, and maybe much better...I don't know."

"There's no risk you'd be raising a little generation of ignoramuses?"

"Why? They wouldn't any more be ignoramuses than an elephant is. Or a bird is. Or a tree is," Teddy said. "Just because something is a certain way, instead of just behaves a certain way, doesn't mean it's an ignoramus."

"No?"

"No!" Teddy said. "Besides, if they wanted to learn all that other stuff--names and colors and things--they could do it, if they felt like it, later on when they were older. But I'd want them to begin with the real ways of look at things..."

The Power of True Education

"Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures and enable mankind to benefit therefrom." -Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 260

This quote beautifully expresses the importance of education, that is, true education.
Questions for the reader: What is meant by true education? What are the aims of this kind of education? In what spirit should such education be conducted? (both by the teacher and the learner)