Education as Service | Page 4

of which the supreme
Teacher of Gods and men is the august Head.
It may be said that many boys could not be managed in this way. The
answer is that such boys have been already spoiled by bad treatment.
Even so, they must be slowly improved by greater patience and
constant love. This plan has already proved successful when tried.
Living in this atmosphere of love during school hours, the boy will
become a better son and a better brother at home, and will bring home
with him a feeling of life and vigour, instead of coming home, as he
generally does now, depressed and tired. When he, in turn, becomes the
head of a household, he will fill it with the love in which he has been
brought up, and so the happiness will go on spreading and increasing,
generation after generation. Such a boy when he becomes a father, will
not look on his son, as so many do now, from a purely selfish point of
view, as though he were merely a piece of property--as though the son
existed for the sake of the father. Some parents seem to regard their
children only as a means of increasing the prosperity and reputation of
the family by the professions which they may adopt or the marriages
that they may make, without considering in the least the wishes of the
children themselves. The wise father will consult his boy as a friend,
will take pains to find out what his wishes are, and will help him with
his greater experience to carry out those wishes wisely, remembering
always that his son is an ego who has come to the father to give him the
opportunity of making good karma by aiding the son in his progress.
He will never forget that though his son's body may be young, the soul
within is as old as his own, and must therefore be treated with respect
as well as affection.
Love both at home and in the school will naturally show itself in
continual small acts of service, and these will form a habit out of which
will grow the larger and more heroic acts of service which makes the
greatness of a nation.
The Master speaks much on cruelty as a sin against love, and
distinguishes between intentional and unintentional cruelty. He says:

"Intentional cruelty is purposely to give pain to another living being;
and that is the greatest of all sins--the work of a devil rather than a
man." The use of the cane must be classed under this, for He says of
intentional cruelty: "Many schoolmasters do it habitually." We must
also include all words and acts intended to wound the feelings of the
boy and to hurt his self-respect. In some countries corporal punishment
is forbidden, but in most it is still the custom. But my Master said:
"These people try to excuse their brutality by saying that it is the
custom; but a crime does not cease to be a crime because many commit
it. Karma takes no account of custom; and the karma of cruelty is the
most terrible of all. In India at least there can be no excuse for such
customs, for the duty of harmlessness is well known to all."
The whole idea of what is called "punishment" is not only wrong but
foolish. A teacher who tries to frighten his boys into doing what he
wishes does not see that they only obey him while he is there, and that
as soon as they are out of his sight they will pay no attention to his
rules, or even take a pleasure in breaking them because they dislike him.
But if he draws them to do what he wants because they love him and
wish to please him, they will keep his rules even in his absence, and so
make his work much easier. Instead of developing fear and dislike in
the characters of the boys, the wise teacher will gain his ends by calling
forth from them love and devotion; and so will strengthen all that is
good in them, and help them on the road of evolution.
Again, the idea of expulsion, of getting rid of a troublesome boy
instead of trying to improve him, is wrong. Even when, for the sake of
his companions, a boy has to be separated from them, the good of the
boy himself must not be forgotten. In fact, all through, school discipline
should be based on the good of the boys and not on the idea of saving
trouble to the teacher. The loving teacher does not mind the trouble.
Unintentional cruelty often comes from mere thoughtlessness, and the
teacher should be very careful not to be cruel in words or actions