Newsletter #7 - Wonder in Education
Education, at its best, is a journey of discovery initiated by the natural wonder and curiosity found in young children. Across all cultures and all times, sometimes to the chagrin of their parents(!), children love to ask “Why?” This intrinsic curiosity drives children to explore, question, and engage with the world around them. It is the soil from which a love of learning grows. When adults cultivate that curiosity, rather than quash it, children flourish.
In Education by the Muses Dr Dennis Quinn explores the concept of educating the whole person through the Liberal Arts. He says that the Muses “introduce the young to reality through delight. It is a total education including the heart, the memory and passions and imagination as well as the body and intelligence.” He takes us through how we should learn not just in “the passionless pursuit of knowledge” but to find ourselves in wonder.
Quinn riffs on the words of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star throughout the lecture and often returns to the idea of having a twinkle in one’s eye - an apt metaphor for the presence of a child-like wonder. In a throw-away line that really sticks in the mind he says, “Those for whom the heavens are merry will keep the twinkle in their eyes, a most important form of illumination.” What a beautiful thought!
In closing we now turn to the reflections of a friend of St Anselm’s, Dr Chris Perrin, who, when finishing his short writing on “Wonder in the Classroom”, implores teachers to do five things:
Get alone with beauty, nature (exit total world of work)
Get alone with the best books. Don’t move too quickly through books.
Return to your first loves. Re-experience the wonder of these things.
Surround yourself with like-minded people.
Follow your children. Children come to us with wide-eyed wonder.
At St. Anselm's we aspire to give wonder the central place it deserves in our student’s education. As ever, we truly appreciate your support in working towards this “wonder”-ful end!