Fishing for Knowledge
Dec 6, 2024
There is a well-known and oft-quoted proverb: Give me a fish and I am fed for a day, teach me to fish I am fed for life. The educational equivalent of this might go along the following lines: Tell me and I learn for a day, teach me to read and I learn for life! The key point in both expressions is the importance of independent learning and skill acquisition for a lifetime of self-sufficiency. Immediate gratification of a child’s hunger for food or knowledge nurtures dependency on others. Answering a child’s question satisfies that need in the moment. Empowering a child to seek and find answers to their own questions is a lifelong gift. Teaching our children to read is the key to an independent, rich, and self-sufficient life.
My purpose in sharing this proverb today is the much anticipated and welcome arrival of the annual ISF Book Fair this week. Falling conveniently at the end of the year, just prior to the season of exchanging gifts, the book fair is a much-loved tradition at our school. It is also difficult to miss, as it is strategically located in Charles Kao Square. Over the course of five days this week, thousands of young learners have visited the book stalls, spending hours while they delve deeply into inspiring fiction and fascinating non-fiction, no doubt acquiring many new additions to their home library. I should also add that some of the more prolific purchasers of books include parents and teachers!
The book fair is an important event in our school calendar, as it celebrates and promotes the love of reading among ISF students. There is a very special joy to be found in the face of a child who has just discovered a new world within the pages of an as yet unread book. With our focus shifting from imparting knowledge to learner self-discovery of knowledge, the book fair is a magical place where our young learners can truly immerse themselves in a sea of ideas and information, while they gain the skill of ‘fishing for knowledge’!
Dr. Malcolm Pritchard
Head of School
