SEA and The Stone of Knowledge

Harry lives in a cupboard under a staircase in the Dursley home. Vernon and Petunia Dursley are his uncle and aunt respectively - cruel Muggles (humans in other words, people without wizarding abilities). It is perhaps no mistake that it is on the occasion of his eleventh birthday that Harry finds out that he is a wizard, eleven being an important age for a child’s development.

As psychologists note, it is the age when a child begins to see himself/herself as an individual.

Hagrid the giant groundskeeper bursts into the Dursley home to cart the little orphan off to the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Magic, thus setting into motion Harry Potter’s journey towards self-discovery.

It is no mistake that the Philosopher’s Stone is the first title of the series. The Philosopher’s Stone in alchemy — the main goal of alchemy was creating the Philosopher’s Stone that would grant the user immortality or eternal youth and health, and converting lead into gold — is called the First Matter, that substance out of which all other substances are made (John Briggs, ‘Fire in the Crucible’). But as Briggs notes in his book, “while the apprentice alchemist should consider himself as a part of a long tradition of brethren, he must puzzle out the…secret for himself.

In order to do that he requires… daring and patience.” And we see this happening in Harry Potter.

Despite the presence and support of his friendship with Ron and Hermione, Harry must fight the evil wizard Voldemort on his own. But even before this, he has to make other little choices throughout the series. A significant one is the choice of house.

The Sorting Hat, a magic hat that reads the tendencies of children and places them into houses, places Harry into Slytherin, the house usually associated with dark magic. But the student also has a choice in the matter, and his choice is taken into consideration as well.

In this case, Harry objects and is placed in Gryffindor. It is one of his first acts of independence and self-knowledge. It is a discussion that can go on further if not for the limitation of space here. In the Harry Potter series we find various characters on their own journeys, unified in this world of magic. And they work well together when they pool their abilities in the fight against the evil wizard.

The question now is whether we recognise in the Trinidadian muggle world, that varied abilities are a resource? Each year as the SEA results are announced, I am disturbed, disturbed mainly by the way in which this examination constantly defines children and is likely to produce another group of citizens who will figurin view of all the retrenchments and unemployment, who cares about the grand, utopian view that ‘learning is a gradual process.’ Absolute nonsense! This is a time that demands an entrepreneurial spirit. It involves taking risks. Risk taking is not something you learn at school.

In my less cynical mindse out very late in life that passing an examination is not the main goal of education.

And that learning is a gradual process. But this year I thought, in a rather cynical manner, et I recognise that the journey is still gradual, similar to the alchemists’ — the coming together of daring and patience. I still believe in education, but as a means of developing critical thinking most importantly.

Our current economic crisis is ample evidence of the fact that traditional qualifications are not something anyone can fall back on now. Many ‘educated’ people are unemployed and many are engaged in creating jobs that have nothing to do with their qualifications — the engineer turned farmer, or the geologist turned baker.

Unfortunately, the thrust towards making everyone into an entrepreneur is another categorisation that says to some people with little to no entrepreneurial skills, that there is no place for them. Yet, it is a reality.

And this is where other qualities, most importantly curiosity and a love for learning, will have to come in. Keep the traditions if you may, but encouraging a love for learning is perhaps one of the more life sustaining qualities we can develop. So congratulations to all students who move into the next phase of their education.

Regardless of where you are, to quote some lines from my favourite Dr Seuss book “You have brains in your head, You have feet in your shoes, You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own.

A n d you know what you k n o w .

And YOU are the guy (or girl) who’ll decide where to go.”