The Teacher's Task
‘Honour the work, and the work will honour you.’
Our word education comes from the Latin educo, meaning ‘to draw out’. The teacher’s task is to draw out the latent powers of the student so that he can realize himself and shine his own light on whatever he studies.
Today, as one would expect in a consumer society, education is almost exclusively knowledge-based and exam-oriented. It’s about how much information can be fed to children and how many exams they can pass. As such it is little more than a path to jobs, salaries, perks and lifestyles. Instead of being a natural process of inner growth, which it is the job of the teacher to foster, education has become a stressful scramble for a vague goal called success, in which there is little joy or discovery. Under the current system, instead of being encouraged to enquire openly, minds are trained to function according to the dictates of society. Education has become a materialistic process whereby knowledge in the form of inert facts is transferred from one person to another. It is functional, but not humane. In fact, it doesn’t require teachers.
It has not been ever thus. Socrates was a great teacher, but he taught nothing. He did not pour knowledge into those who sought him out. Describing himself as a midwife of the mind, he made it his business to help other people bring into the world new births of mind. In other words, he showed them how to think for themselves or, more simply, how to look. Education isn’t something separate from life; it is life – an awakening in which both teacher and pupil participate. The teacher is the taught, and vice-versa. It is a listening and unfolding of the soul, which happens in a unique manner and rhythm for each person.
At De Vere Tutors we are building a team of pioneers who will have the creative freedom to teach in the way that best communicates their knowledge and enthusiasm for their subject. All classes, courses and private tuition sessions are delivered online via Skype. Students from around the world can embark on tailored courses, from a week to a year or more, for instruction and inspiration. The goal is to forge a shared passion for the subject between teacher and taught. The classes offer much more than simple instruction for exams or qualifications, though they do that too: rather, they are designed to inspire the student to make the subject his own. They are also intended to make teachers of students, and vice-versa. Either way, the ultimate goal is the same: mastery.
