Fire Vs. Pail

Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire.
~William Butler Yeats


The sad reality gripping the country today is that education is seen as just a door to a job. Terrible. If that is the main reason why children are sent to school, imagine what the future of this country looks like.


We just wanted to fill the pail, but have we realized that once the pail is filled, the water will spill and just go to wherever? Students today are suffering from information overload. They are made to memorize, recite, write notes and answer quizzes for fifteen or more years, but when they go out the school walls they know so little.


However, if we light a fire, not only are we eradicating darkness, but we are also lighting others’ paths and who knows, we can even pass and share the torch. Real education is about empowering the child. It is believing in his capabilities and giving him the chance to explore those, more than gauging his performance on the basis of some standards.

Thus, as the times evolve, so does the need for unique, enhancement programs which would enable the student to gain knowledge and at the same time enhance his skill. UbD (Understanding by Design), is one of the evolutions from the traditional curriculum, and is very promising when properly implemented.

Learning must not be confined to the four walls of the classroom, moreover, must never be left to the responsibility of the teacher. The learning process is a committed collaboration among the school, the parents, and the child. It is like a tripod - try severing one leg and it will surely topple down.