Democracy and Education (Reflections on Democratic Education by a Secondary School Teacher. Revised Edition)

Author: Li Zhenxi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-07-30
Features: In a primary school, over a dozen first-grade students were silenced by their homeroom teacher using adhesive notes; nine primary school students were forced by their homeroom teacher to use scissors and small knives to shave their faces publicly. Li Zhenxi keenly observed that the perpetrators of such brutal corporal punishment in schools were often "good" teachers adorned with various honors and titles, while the victims and their classmates mostly believed "the teacher was right!" In 2003, Li Zhenxi was admitted as a Ph.D. student in educational philosophy under Professor Zhu Yongxin at Soochow University, and "Democracy and Education" was his doctoral dissertation. This book traces and reviews the democratic educational ideas of educators from ancient to modern times, inherits the democratic educational thoughts of predecessors, especially Tao Xingzhi, and combines them with the realities of China's basic education for phenomenon analysis and case studies. It links democratic education with the ongoing new curriculum reform, introducing democratic educational practices into schools, classrooms, and the daily lives of teachers and students. At the same time, the book's interpretation, citations, and deductions are meticulous and rigorous, with numerous case analyses, pursuing a harmonious unity of rationality, passion, and vividness. The language is clear, simple, and, blending narration with commentary. It embeds thought in examples and gives examples depth, regarded as a model of educational research papers. The book has had a profound impact on teachers. If "Love and Education" allowed readers to undergo a spiritual purification and reignite their passion for work, then "Democracy and Education" has awakened millions of teachers to reflect on their mission.