Although a relatively simple concept, it is striking, how little we see of this in today’s world. Each and every child possesses in themselves an inherent curiosity, a curiosity gifted by nature as a tool to cultivate the life-long process of learning. The child develops a will to explore, a will to discover, a will to understand things, which he/she formerly did not. This inherent curiosity is born within each child, which sadly diminishes over time. The cause of this diminishment can easily be traced to traditional institutionalized learning, in which the child grows to have distaste and sometimes even repulsion to education. A repulsion, which is not rooted in the material, or even the idea of education, but rather founded in the grounds of how it is administered. The child begins to loathe learning, because it is no longer fun, and seems to be a punishment. The resulting child grows away from this natural curiosity, and falls into a cycle of disdain and mindless repetition.
It is this very curiosity that we hope not only to maintain, but also cultivate. The child’s inherent willingness to learn, discover and explore, which can easily be seen at the youngest of ages. When this curiosity is cultivated, the child begins to grow towards a feeling of self-inspiration. A feeling to learn for the sake of learning. To explore, because exploring is fun. To discover, because discovery is exciting. The child now begins to enjoy the process, engaging deeply with his/her whole mind, body, and soul. The resulting child no longer views education as an obstacle to be hurdled, or a medicine to be administered. He begins to see education for what it truly is, a process of self-improvement, self-growth, and a means to become a better human being. The result is a Self-Inspired Child.
Is Your Child a Self-Inspired Learner?