{"id":4166,"date":"2013-07-13T01:53:54","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:53:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4166"},"modified":"2013-12-01T21:19:01","modified_gmt":"2013-12-02T05:19:01","slug":"58-mothers-action-in-a-class-of-aged-07-to-09-vol-12-on-education-volume-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/02-works-of-the-mother\/01-cwmce\/12-on-education-volume-12\/58-mothers-action-in-a-class-of-aged-07-to-09-vol-12-on-education-volume-12","title":{"rendered":"-58_Mother’s-Action-in-a-Class-of-Aged-07 to 09.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n


\n
\n(7)<\/span><\/font><\/b><\/p>\n


\n <\/span><\/font><\/b><\/p>\n


\n
\nMother’s Action in a Class
\nof Children<\/span><\/font><\/b><\/p>\n


\nAged <\/font> <\/span><\/b>
\n
\nSeven to Nine<\/font><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n


\n <\/span><\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

(Mother gave the name \u201cArbre Ensoleill\u00e9\u201d [\u201cSunlit Tree\u201d] to the
\nclass according to ideas expressed by the<\/span><\/i> <\/span>children themselves. She explained:} <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 333<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

The tree is life that aspires and grows. The sun is the light of
\nTruth. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is not the cold light of reason that helps life to grow and
\nblossom, it is the warm and life-giving light of Truth; it is the sun, when it
\npours its joyful rays on the world. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

(The teacher introduced activities such as doing odd jobs,
\ngardening, making a zoo out of cardboard, observing a chrysalis, etc. The
\nchildren enjoyed these activities but afterwards were reluctant to go on from
\nthere to do more \u201cscholastic\u201d work.}<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A good beginning. It will evolve quite naturally towards more
\nintellectual activities, and meanwhile any work that is done with care is an
\nopportunity to learn something. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

(Reply to some practical questions} <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

1.<\/span>  <\/span>It is better not to lock the children up in the classroom, even
\nto play. <\/span><\/p>\n

2. A moment of silence and concentration is always good for all
\nthe<\/i> children<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>
\nBut the prayer should not be compulsory<\/i>. Those who want to do it will be
\nencouraged. I suggest that you put up a notice-board in the classroom with
\nthese words written on it in large letters: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMother is always here amongst us to help us and guide us.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Most of the children will understand, and some are capable of feeling<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>December<\/span><\/i> 1960 <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

(The teacher found the children turbulent, rather lazy and as
\ntalkative as parrots. She asked:) Is it like this <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 334<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

because their real interest is not turned towards study? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What can we do to obtain calm and quietness in the class and get
\nthe children to do some work? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The only effective thing is to create or awaken in them a real<\/span> interest in study, the need to learn and to know<\/span>, to
\nawaken their mental curiosity<\/span>.
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

(The teacher complained of a lack of results.<\/span><\/i>} <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

It is only after months, and even years of assiduous, regular and
\nobstinate effort that one can rightfully say (and even then!) that it has been
\nuseless and fruitless. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What should be done? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Compulsion is neither the best nor the most effective principle of
\neducation. <\/span><\/p>\n

True education must reveal<\/span>
\nwhat is already present in the developing beings and make it blossom. Just as
\nflowers blossom in the sun, children blossom in joy. It goes without saying
\nthat joy does not mean weakness, disorder and confusion. But a luminous
\nkindliness which encourages the good and does not severely insist on the bad. <\/span><\/p>\n

Grace is always much closer to Truth than justice. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What should be done so that Mother can act
\nin the class? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

There is nothing, no method, no process, which is bad in itself;
\neverything depends on the spirit in which it is done. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you want my help, it is not by accepting one principle of
\naction and rejecting another that you can have it, but by  <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 335<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

concentrating before the class, by establishing silence and peace
\nin your heart (and in your head too, if possible) and by calling my presence<\/i>
\nwith a sincere aspiration that I should be behind all your actions, not in the
\nway you think that I would act (for that can only be an arbitrary opinion and
\ntherefore necessarily wrong), but in silence and calm and inner spontaneity.
\nThis is the only true way of getting out of your difficulty.<\/span><\/p>\n

And until you are able to achieve this, do your best quietly and
\nperseveringly, according to your own capacities and the circumstances, with
\nsimplicity and without tormenting yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Grace is always there with anyone who wishes to do well. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What does Mother call \u201cpersevering\u201d where work with the children
\nis concerned? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What I meant to say in the notebook, was that it is always
\npreferable to continue quietly with what one is doing until an inner psychological change<\/span> brings
\nabout the outer change smoothly. This is what I call persevering<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>January 1961<\/span><\/i> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The work and the discipline are becoming slack. Is it because of a
\n\u201cvital strike\u201d on the teacher’s part? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Certainly. It is a weakening of the force due to the non-collaboration
\nof the vital which causes the slackening. Children do not live in their minds
\nenough to obey spontaneously a mental will that is not sustained by a vital
\nforce which influences them by its mere presence, without requiring any outer
\nexpression. When the vital collaborates, my force works through it and
\nautomatically maintains order simply by its presence in the vital.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Young children are not very sensitive to a mental power that is
\nnot clothed with vital power. And in order to have vital power you yourself
\nmust be perfectly calm<\/span>. <\/i><\/span> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 336<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

(The teacher proposed to start with the children a course of study
\nin the subjects which interested them.<\/span><\/i>} <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Yes, it is a good idea. An atmosphere of friendly collaboration is
\nalways best.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>February 1961<\/span><\/span><\/i> \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A difficult period is beginning. What would be the true attitude
\nfor the teacher? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The psychic inspiration alone is true. All that comes from the
\nvital and the mind is necessarily mixed with egoism and is arbitrary. One
\nshould not act in reaction<\/i> to outer contact, but with an immutable
\nvision of love and goodwill. Everything else is a mixture which can only have
\nconfused and mixed results, and perpetuate the disorder. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

(Extract from one of the teacher’s letters:} It seems that it is
\nmerely mental impulses that are making me act, and that they miss the mark.
\nThat is why although I intervene very little, I feel that it is still too much,
\nbecause it is not the real thing. And I think I have learnt from You that true
\ncalm is much more effective than any external intervention. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

It also seems that if I am going through
\nan experience, perhaps the same thing may be true for the children, and in fact
\nwe are going through this experience together, we have embarked on the same
\nboat; the Divine alone knows its meaning and its outcome.1<\/sup> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The problem is more far-reaching than it appears at first sight.
\nIt is in fact a revolt of the vital forces of the children against all
\ndiscipline and all constraint. The normal ordinary method<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00b9<\/font><\/span>Mother
\nunderlined this extract and wrote in the margin:\u201d This is correct.\u201d<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 337<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span>would have been to expel
\nall the undisciplined children from the school and to keep only those who are
\n\u201cgood\u201d. But this is a defeat and an impoverishment. <\/span><\/p>\n

If, by transmitting the inner force, in absolute calm<\/i>, one
\ncan finally control this revolt, it becomes a conversion and a true enrichment.
\nThat is what I want to try and I hope that it will be possible for you to go on
\ncollaborating with my action. And now that you have understood not only what I
\nwant to do, but also the mechanism and the process of this action, I am
\nconfident that we shall succeed. We must expect relapses and not be discouraged
\nby them.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Vital forces, especially in children whose reason is not very well
\ndeveloped, fight desperately before accepting the light and allowing themselves
\nto be converted by it. But success is certain in the end, and we must know how
\nto endure and wait. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

(The teacher prayed for light, love, flexibility and all that is
\nnecessary in order to collaborate with Mother’s work in the class.)\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

All this is constantly with you. Remain open and let it work. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

1<\/span><\/sup>Mother underlined this
\nextract and wrote in the margin: \u201cThis is correct.\u201d  <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>March 1961 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

(The teacher planned to let the children work in groups. Should
\nshe form the groups herself, according to their standards, or should she let
\nthe children group themselves according to their affinities?} <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let the children group themselves according to their spontaneous
\nsympathies.  <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Does calm in the teacher necessarily bring about calm in the
\nclass, that is to say, \u201ca quiet atmosphere where each one can work according to
\nhis own rhythm and <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span>Page \u2013 338<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

capacities, without noise or restlessness, without impatience or
\nlaziness\u2026?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

If your calm is integral, that is, both inner and outer, founded
\non the perception of the Divine Presence, and unchanging, that is to say,
\nconstant and unvarying in all circumstances, it will undoubtedly be
\nall-powerful, and the children will necessarily be influenced by it and the
\nclass will certainly become, spontaneously and almost automatically, what you
\nwant it to be.1<\/sup> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>April 1961 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

(The teacher
\nthought that a liking for work and the joy of working should be developed in
\nthe children. Mother replied:}<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

You are quite right in everything you say about the school, the
\nclass and work, and I fully approve the effort of organisation that you want to
\nmake. <\/span><\/p>\n

  <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

(Mother also sent these two messages to
\nthe children \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

If one does not love work, one is always unhappy in life. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

In order to be truly happy in life, one must love work<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>July 1961 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\nS<\/font><\/span>ome <\/font> <\/span>
\nO<\/font><\/span>ther <\/font> <\/span>
\nM<\/font><\/span>essages of <\/font> <\/span>
\nM<\/font><\/span>other to the<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nC<\/font><\/span>hildren of <\/font> <\/span>
\nT<\/font><\/span>his <\/font> <\/span>
\nC<\/font><\/span>lass<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

My dear children, love work and you will be happy. Love to learn
\nand you will progress. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n


\n1<\/font><\/span><\/sup>From the
\ntime of this message, calm was definitively re-established in the classroom.
\n<\/font> <\/span>
\n <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 339<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

(The children decided with their teacher on a programme for the
\nyear: to speak in French, to read correctly, to write French without mistakes,
\nto count properly, to understand arithmetic problems, to learn how to add,
\nsubtract, multiply and divide. Mother replied in the class notebook:) <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

My dear children, I have read your letter and I agree that it
\nwould be very good if by the end of the year you knew all the things that you
\nhave listed here. <\/span><\/p>\n

But there is one point on which I want to draw your attention,
\nbecause it is the central point and the most important one: it is your attitude
\nin class and the state of mind in which you come to school. <\/span><\/p>\n

To benefit from your daily attendance in class, you must go there
\nwith a sincere will to learn, to be attentive and concentrated, to listen to
\nwhat your teacher tells you and to work quietly and seriously. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you spend your time shouting, fidgeting and upsetting
\neverything like unconscious and ill-mannered children, you are wasting your
\ntime, you are wasting the teacher’s time and you will learn nothing at all. And
\nat the end of the year I will have to say that you are bad students and do not
\ndeserve to move up into a higher class. <\/span><\/p>\n

You must come to your class with the will to learn, otherwise it
\nis a waste of time, because even if only one of you misbehaves all the others
\nwill be disturbed. So this is the decision I want you to take: to be good,
\nquiet, attentive, and to work hard. This is what you must promise me to do in
\nthis notebook.<\/span><\/p>\n

And when each of you has written, with all his goodwill, then send
\nthe notebook back to me so that I can give you my blessings. <\/span> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Beginning of 1961 <\/span><\/i>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 340<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

(The children do not sit up straight and their handwriting is bad.
\nMother wrote :}<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It is no more tiring to hold yourself straight than to hold
\nyourself badly. When you hold yourself straight, the body grows harmoniously.
\nWhen you hold yourself badly, the body becomes misshapen and ugly. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is no more tiring to write neatly than to scrawl. When your
\nwork is neatly written, it is read with pleasure. When it is too badly written,
\nit cannot be read at all. <\/span><\/p>\n

To do with care all that one does is the basis of all progress. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>1961 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The days pass, the weeks pass, the months pass, the years pass and
\ntime fades into the past. And later on, when they have grown up, those who no
\nlonger have the immense advantage of being children regret the time that they
\nhave wasted and that they could have used to learn all the things which are
\nneeded to know how to live.  <\/span><\/p>\n

March 1961 <\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 341<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(7)   Mother’s Action in a Class of Children Aged Seven to Nine   (Mother gave the name \u201cArbre Ensoleill\u00e9\u201d [\u201cSunlit Tree\u201d] to the class…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-12-on-education-volume-12","wpcat-118-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9746,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4166\/revisions\/9746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}