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You think me foolish to call instruction a torment, but if you had been as much used as myself to hear poor little children first learning their letters and then learning to spell, if you had ever seen how stupid they can be for a whole morning together, and how tired my poor mother is at the end of it, as I am in the habit of seeing almost every day of my life at home, you would allow that to torment and to instruct might sometimes be used as synonymous words.
Jane Austen
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Instruction can be frustrating and exhausting, especially when teaching young children.

In this quote, Jane Austen reflects on the challenges and frustrations faced by educators, particularly parents, when teaching young children the basics of reading and writing. She describes the laborious process of instruction, highlighting how it can feel torturous, not just for the learners but for the teachers as well. This candid observation evokes empathy for teachers and underscores the often overlooked difficulties involved in the educational process.

Themes

InstructionEducationFrustrationTeachingChildren

In practice

Example use cases

During a parent-teacher meeting, a teacher might use this quote to express the challenges of classroom instruction.

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