Traditions are the backbone of many societies all over the world. They influence everything from politics to families to how we’re educated. In Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankel, we see how Frankel dug deep down within himself and used his inner strength to overcome the horrors of his time in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. Vivek Reddy and Kiran Reddy, cofounders of the upcoming Riverbend School in Chennai, India, wants their future students to find their inner strength and use it toward building better and brighter opportunities for themselves and their communities. “We want to cultivate happy kids, compassionate people, people that are going to go out into the world and do something good” (Reddy, Teach Happiness Not Math). The ideas which the co-founders have include, students choosing their own curriculum, building and sustaining a community within the school, and creating emotional tenacity within the students themselves throughout their education at the Riverbend School.
If Frankel were still alive today, he would wholeheartedly support the kind of education the co-founders want to establish in a place so steeped in traditions. In her article, Adele Peters describes “instead of following the standard curriculum, students will decide what they want to learn themselves, and pursue learning through experience” (Teach Happiness Not Math). This will give students a freedom they have not experienced before in more traditional methods of schooling. This way, the students will come to love and appreciate their educational journey that much more. Victor Frankel believed “life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual” (page 77, Man’s Search For Meaning). Which means that everyone on this planet has problems that have answers, yet must be found using the person’s own actions and resolve to find that answer.
This coincides perfectly with the future program Reddy and Reddy envision for their students throughout their scholastic journey. Vivek Reddy and Kiran Reddy have a grand dream that by 2020 will become reality. They want to build and create a school, but not just any school. This school would be a network of communities within itself, allowing students and their families alike to nurture and grow their minds and relationships. Such a community would lead to a more compassionate and well-rounded generation of Indians. “It’s our view that happiness or emotional intelligence, or balance, or confidence, or self-esteem, or any other word for feeling good about ourselves and our place in the world, is the foundation on which great lives and great achievements are built” (Kurani, Teach Happiness Not Math). Kurani simply wants these kids to be happy, because happiness ultimately leads to success. Kurani wants the school to be more than a place of education; he wants it to be like a village.
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Villages are traditionally made up of a community of people who work together to make sure the village thrives and endures. By incorporating this ideal into education, Kurani is ensuring that future generations are lifting each other up and creating boundless opportunities for each other. Then and only then can the students have friendly and happy relationships with everyone around them both in and outside of school. Frankel describes in his book how devout Jews kept their faith alive by assisting each other to the best of their abilities during such a devastating time in history. Therefore, Frankel undoubtedly would support Kurani’s reason for his architectural plan for the school matter who will attend. “This school isn’t for everyone” (Reddy, Teach Happiness Not Math). Though Reddy has a beautiful vision for the young children he is so willing to teach, he knows deep down that those who hold steadfast to tradition will oppose his views and ideas. Many parents for example want to see their children succeed, and many of them believe traditional methods of schooling will get them there.
Reddy realizes that this path is not for everyone, which only empowers him to progress forward. So, no matter how strong the voice of doubt may get in the back of his mind, Reddy has already shown he is ready to put in the work and see this school come to fruition by the year 2020, as stated in the article written by Adele Peters. Peters describes in her article about how Reddy hopes that this form of learning and the techniques that will be used at this unique establishment will influence other existing academic facilities to do the same. “He who has a why to live for can bear with any how” (Frankel, Man’s Search For Meaning). The road ahead will be long and surely have several obstacles for the co-founders which they will face and have to endure as they work toward completion of this dream school and eventually spreading it world wide. As Frankel describes, he uses the image of his wife in his mind’s eye to get him through the most brutal treatments and conditions of his time during the concentration camps, motivating him to eventually free himself from his pain.
While the road to building a better education system in India is not nearly as horrifying as living in a concentration camp, it will surely take a strong set of minds to see this dream through to its thrilling realization.. In conclusion, the co-founders Vivek Reddy and Kiran Reddy versatile approach to education, though breaking India’s current traditions, promises to help create new and lasting practices when it comes to developing future generations of students and their communities. Victor Frankel would back this idea for education if he were alive today. As a psychologist and advocate for finding your happiness through self motivation, he would strongly argue against any naysayers that this structure for education would not only work, but that it would flourish. These ideas unique and pure will only serve to benefit the students in the endeavors of their lives. Everything from giving students the freedom to choose the path they take at the future Riverbend School, to cultivating a strong community within the school, to emotional stability through happiness in and out of the classroom, these are all components that will catapult this idea forward in India, and eventually, the rest of the world.
