Educational History: Leo Tolstoy 1828 to 1910

“I put men to death in war, I fought duels to slay others. I lost at cards, wasted the substance wrung from the sweat of peasants, punished the latter cruelly, rioted with loose women, and deceived men. Lying, robbery, adultery of all kinds, drunkenness, violence, and murder, all were committed by me, not one crime omitted, and yet I was not the less considered by my equals to be a comparatively moral man. Such was my life for ten years.”

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Educational History: Andrew Bell 1753 to 1832

Andrew Bell (1753 to 1832) was a Scottish Anglican priest and educationalist Founder of the Madras system of education (also known as “the monitorial system”) in schools and was the founder of Madras College, a secondary school in St. Andrews. Born 27 March 1753, he was the second son of a barber in St Andrews where a college in the university is still named after him to this day  Madras College. Read more…

Educational History: Ivan Illich and Deinstitutionalisation

After being introduced to Ivan Illich as an educational thinker by two retired friends who were teachers, it raised so many questions in life that I have decided to create a series of digests on his famous book Deschooling Society.  He is a thinker who demands being read, so if you have not encountered his thought I recommend you make a point to read his work firsthand and then prompt you to go and explore it yourself.  This is the very spirit of Ivan Illich.
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