After class today, I wanted to say more about the importance Gandhi places on handwriting. Lisa mentioned that she learned to draw before she learned to write and that it greatly benefitted the quality of her handwriting. While I know that Gandhi means this example to be literal, and I agree, I also want to look at the metaphorical stance.
Observe before you do. We should teach our kids to observe flowers, birds, etc. from nature and learn to draw them. Then we should teach them to write. Drawing takes a great amount of interpretation. You look at the object, interpret it, and project your interpretation of the object. Gandhi wants to emphasize this skill. If we pay attention to the specifics and aesthetics of something, we are able to interpret it much better and produce a better product.
I just think the implication of this is wonderful. We should teach our kids not the product (the handwriting) but the skill needed (observation and interpretation). These skills are not as concrete as being able to craft letters into calligraphy, and apply to life as a whole.
I think Gandhi learns that he must observe before he can do, and I think the amount of observation he becomes able to make is shown through his careful evaluation of the school system, and even of his life in general as represented in his autobiography.
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I was really fascinated with the intense view on handwriting from Gandhi. I do feel like handwriting should not be the determinate of how well you are educated. Gandhi to me is very stuck in his views but I do feel that if he were presented with another opinion he will argue with it just as he did his friend on the matter of meat. I do agree that this should be taken metaphorically in our day and time because the underlying message of observing and interpretation can benefit us in everyday life. Those are good skills that should be honed.
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