A CHILD IS NOT A VESSEL TO BE FILLED BUT A CANDLE TO BE LIT!
Isn’t this a beautiful image? This quote made a huge impression on me and I began to reflect more on my education. I am so grateful to my teachers for lighting the flame of curiosity within me. My imagination was ignited and my dreams and desires became clearer. As Einstein said “ Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
I believe this is a great foundation for education. Children will begin to resent their teachers and their schooling if they are simply being filled with facts and information. Many students understandably begin to question the importance of education if they are only retaining factual information for regurgitation later on in an exam. Whereas if a child is being challenged and inspired, if the teacher is striving to develop every aspect of the child this is far more successful. To quote Einstein once again “It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.”
As educators we should be striving to guide the development of curious, questioning and unique individuals. I have an immense amount of respect and gratitude for my teachers, their passion for educating made every school day satisfying and worthwhile.
I discovered this beautiful and meaningful quote in a book called “The Journeys of Socrates” written by Dan Millman.