In Winnie-the-Pooh, Milne has a pretty suspicious view of formal education. Just think about it. Christopher Robin's journey from the innocent, youthful world of the Forest to the world beyond it is driven by his shift to primary school years. His interest in play is replaced by academic demands. Milne is not necessarily saying that education is bad, but he certainly likes his satire.
Questions About Education
- Pedagogy has changed a lot in the last 90 years. Is Milne's depiction of Christopher Robin's education applicable to today's kids?
- Milne is a proponent of education and literacy (a big Duh statement, we know), but at the same time he uses Owl to satirize stuffy academics. How do you reconcile these seemingly opposing points of view?
- Milne essentially makes a distinction between book smarts and street smarts. Which characters represent each side of this coin? Is there anyone who has both?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Take a look at the kind of formal education that Christopher Robin is starting to get. Turns out, it's all about testing and drilling.
Education is power. Get as many degrees as you can. Take it from Milne, A. A., MA, PhD, MFA, BS, MBA, PsyD, TM, Co., TMI, OMG.