Chapter 4 3. The task of educators is to let children discover the principles of life

A rich man once asked me to be his son's teacher, which was a great honor, but I turned it down.Despite the complaints of the powerful, I thought he should thank me for my prudence. Just imagine if I agreed to his request and educated his son in my own way.If this method is wrong, then the education of his son will be a failure; on the other hand, if the method of education is right, it will cause his son to give up the title of duke, which may be even worse for him. I know that the teacher has a great responsibility, and I feel that my ability is limited, so no matter who the other party is, I always refuse.

I believe that after reading my book, most people will not make similar requests to me again.As for those who want to ask me to be a teacher, they can also be exempted.Because I once tried to be a teacher, and finally found that I was not suitable for this position. Some people don't seem to take my word for it or think I'm saying no in good faith.Therefore, I hereby publicly express my attitude and viewpoint. Although I can't do this meaningful work, I can do some simple things, so I, like many others, don't participate in education, but only write educational treatises.Unlike others, I don't indulge in the fantasy of educational programs, but use cases to illustrate my educational philosophy in detail.

I imagined a student and named him Emile.I will describe the education he received from birth to adulthood, and imagine myself as the best person to educate him. Whether it is age, health, knowledge, or ability, I have reached the standard to be his teacher. Another point, compared to the title of teacher, I tend to regard this kind of person as a mentor.The teacher mainly imparts knowledge to the children, while the tutor mainly teaches the children how to behave, and his responsibility is not to teach the children the principles of life, but to let the children discover these principles by themselves.

Instructors should select students as carefully and cautiously as students choose instructors, especially when they want to use this student as a sample for research and education. First, assume that Emile's intelligence is average, because only children of average intelligence can serve as examples of this category, and geniuses are the exception. Second, assume that Emile lived in a temperate zone, because temperate climates are more suitable for the healthy development of children. Third, assume that Emile was born in a wealthy family, because only rich people are suitable for natural education, and cultivate him into a person who can survive in any environment, at least so that he will not be sacrificed under the prejudice of the rich.The poor have no chance of access to other education except being forced to accept the environment in which they live.

Fourth, assume that Emile is an orphan, and I have all the rights and responsibilities of educating him, and I can determine the environment in which he will grow up. Fifth, assume that Emile is healthy and lively, because only when the body is strong can he obey the domination of the spirit.A weak body not only fails to satisfy those sensual desires, but intensifies them.When the body is weak, the spirit will wither. After Emile was born, he needed someone who had just finished confinement to act as his nanny.The sitter must be healthy in body and mind.Because there can only be this nanny, and once selected, it cannot be changed, so the choice of nanny is very important.

The same is true for teachers. If you change teachers frequently, it will be very detrimental to the cultivation of children.Every time a teacher is changed, the children will secretly compare each other in their hearts, and show less and less respect for those who discipline them, let alone have any sense of awe. Let the child see, even once, that grown-ups are not always better than children, and the older man loses his prestige and his education becomes ineffective. For children, apart from their parents, other people cannot be regarded as elders.When there are no parents, the nanny and teacher can only be regarded as elders, but among these two people, only one person is enough.

Faced with such a situation, when educating children, whether it is the parents, the nanny or the teacher, they must cooperate closely, and at the same time maintain the consistency of education so that the children can treat the two as one person. A sitter must live comfortably and eat a nutritious diet.But be careful not to change her lifestyle suddenly and across the board.Even if this change is good, it will affect the babysitter's physical health. Moreover, the nanny can make herself healthy by using the original lifestyle, so changing the lifestyle becomes meaningless.So it seems to me that just needs to make the nanny's diet a bit richer.

Air quality is a key factor in a child's development, especially in the first few years of life.The air that passes through the pores of your child's skin has a huge effect on the body. So instead of bringing a woman from the country to the city to nurse the child, I prefer to send the child to the country to breathe the fresh air.Emile will follow his new mother to live in the country, and his mentor will follow. We are used to living in huddles like ants, but human beings are not born like this, but should spread all over the whole land we cultivate under our feet. You know, the more human beings gather, the more degenerate they become.The reason why our bodies are not healthy, and the reason why our minds are not healthy, is all due to this social life.

Humans are the most unsuitable animals to live in groups.There is no doubt, either in theory or in practice, that man's breath is mortal to his fellow man. Therefore, the city is the abyss where human beings are buried.If people live permanently in cities, then within a few generations, human beings will be on the verge of extinction and degradation, and the best way to save them is to return to the countryside. Send the children into the country, that they may be reborn in nature, and regain the vigor lost by crowding and foul air. There are some rural women who think it is better for their children to have children in the city.But in fact, it should be the women in the city who go to the countryside to give birth.This is because the countryside is closer to nature and also makes women happier as they fulfill their childcare responsibilities.

After the baby is born, people like to bathe the baby with drops of wine in warm water.In my opinion, the step of adding wine is unnecessary. Wine is made by human beings, and it may not help the people created by nature. Bathe babies in lukewarm water, lower and lower as they grow stronger, until they get into the habit of bathing in cold or ice water in all seasons, and Maintain this habit throughout your life. The purpose of doing this is not just to keep their bodies clean and temporarily healthy, but to use it as a way to enhance their physical fitness.In the long run, their muscle fibers will become more flexible, so that they can freely cope with bad weather.Whether it is scorching heat or severe winter, they can adapt quickly and survive without danger.

Do not wrap the baby tightly.No hats, laces, swaddles, none of that.Dress them in loose clothing and let the air caress their skin.Let them stretch their limbs freely, and when they grow stronger, let them crawl freely about the room. In this way, the child will grow stronger every day, and the development of the child is astonishing compared to the child who grows up tightly swaddled. Education begins when life is born.A child is a student as soon as he is born, but his teacher is not us, but nature. The teacher's job is to cooperate with nature, and to prevent his own concern for the child from running counter to nature.The teacher takes care of the child, observes the child, follows the child, and waits quietly for him to emit the brilliance of the first reason.