rabindranath tagore Conclusion

Rabindranath Tagore, by his efforts and achievements, is part of a global network of pioneering educators, such as Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Froebel, Montessori and Dewey--and in the contemporary context, Malcolm Knowles--who have striven to create non-authoritarian learning systems appropriate to their respective surroundings. In a poem that expresses Tagores goals for international education, he writes: Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action into that heaven of freedom, my Father, Let my country awake.

Ants, in conclusion
WRITTEN
ON

OCTOBER 19, 2010

BY TREEPETERS IN ANT FARM, DADDY, LIFE

So, it turns out that this whole thing is awful, unnatural and feels downright cruel. But, once we had them and they were entombed, we had no choice but to continue the project to its conclusion. It goes on even still Poor Stephen is caretaker for the rapidly dwindling group. They just die, one by one, little by little. They never get to live, and thrive as they were meant to. Weve watched them desperately search for some way to create a tunnel that isnt exposed to a plastic wall. They went to a lot of trouble to build up enough of the earth-like substance to make just one place for themselves that was truly their own. It turned out to be good that we put that gemstone in there because they used it for their own purposes. At least that helped them. Its Blue Chalcedony, by the way. Weve watched them bury their dead and have some strange wrestling matches as well. Sometimes Stephen tries to break it up if they seem to be going too far. Are we watching the true nature of ants? Is it at least scientifically useful? Who knows! This is a bunch of male ants trapped together, slowly dying. We might be seeing how ants would behave in Alcatraz Ants as Lord of the Flies. In that case, theyve remained pretty civilized and noble. Well never really know and Im guessing thats a blessing at this point. We couldnt let them go because there was no place to release a bunch of stinging ants. Plus, our friend Stacy, pointed out that they are not native to this area and that is really not good for the ecosystem. Woops. I hadnt thought of that. Nope, no choice but to try and make them as comfortable as possible. Thats fallen to my kind-hearted husband. He sits with them now and gives them some time with the lid off. (I need to know they are observed at all times when escape is even a remote possibility.) Hes gotten them some granola to enjoy, and they really do seem to like it. Fortunately, Em hasnt been too obsessed with them. So, weve been able to gloss over the whole thing with her. Needless to say, we would never do this again. Well, better incarnation to you, our little friends. My advice skip this purchase. Buy a magnifying glass and take your child outside to watch some ants.