What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child prison, engages a number of employee schoolmasters as turnkeys, and covers up the essential cruelty and unnaturalness of the situation by torturing the children if they do not learn, and calling this process, which is within the capacity of any fool or blackguard, by the sacred name of Teaching.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques traditional schooling by comparing it to imprisonment and highlighting the harsh realities of the educational system.
George Bernard Shaw's quote presents a critical view of the traditional educational system, likening the role of the schoolmaster to that of a jailer who takes custodial control of children. The argument suggests that instead of fostering genuine learning and growth, schools often perpetuate cruelty and discipline through punitive measures while masquerading these actions under the guise of teaching, revealing the deeper societal issues regarding education's true nature and purpose.
Themes
EducationTeachingSchoolLearningCritique
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on educational reform, this quote can be used to illustrate the shortcomings of traditional teaching methods.
More from George Bernard Shaw
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Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws of nature!
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Those who talk most about the blessings of marriage and the constancy of its vows are the very people who declare that if the chain were broken and the prisoners left free to choose, the whole social fabric would fly asunder. You cannot have the argument both ways. If the prisoner is happy, why lock him in? If he is not, why pretend that he is?
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Treat a friend as a person who may someday become your enemy; an enemy as a person who may someday become your friend.
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The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality.
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